Strauss in Search of the Holy Grail

While England claimed a hard fought series win in Bangladesh, Andrew Strauss was taking a well deserved break. Away from the sweltering heat of Dhaka, the England opener was able to reflect on a superb first year as captain. Having seen off the West Indies in his first home test series as captain, he orchestrated England’s reclaiming of the Ashes in a 2-1 win over Australia.

As well as coping with the added pressure of captaincy, Strauss was named player of the series and was England’s leading run scorer. Yet, having recaptured the urn that is so important to English cricket, his decision to miss the tour of Bangladesh and hand Alastair Cook the reigns was received badly by many in the game. However, Strauss feels that it was the right decision with such a big year ahead.

“It has definitely done me the world of good to have a short break and be able to evaluate everything that has happened in the last year,” explains Strauss. “We have a busy schedule with the World Twenty20, two Tests against Bangladesh and of course the trip to Australia. That is almost the holy grail for us to win out there. We are going to have to play exceptionally well.”

Although Strauss will not be taking part in the World Twenty20 in the West Indies he still regards the tournament as an integral part of the build up to the Ashes series. “I feel that it is not only important in terms of our development as a Twenty20 team, but also for achieving some momentum heading into the summer. It is always important to do well in International tournaments and I am hopeful that we can perform well.”

Since the 2009 Ashes victory it has been the Australian side that has built momentum. Coping with the loss of Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, the Aussies have rebuilt their side and claimed series wins against the West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand.

England too have lost key figures with Andrew Flintoff’s retirement from test cricket regarded as a major issue, but Strauss remains confident that the talent coming through is good enough to cope. “The core of the side is still relatively young and I hope we have quite a few years left in us. We also have some real talent coming through, so if they perform well for their counties and in the World Twenty20 then there is no reason why they can’t be on the plane to Australia.”

The growth of Twenty20 cricket has seen a new attacking breed of player and Strauss admits that the likes of Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter could push for a test place. “Although they are very different games you only have to look at the likes of Virender Sehwag and Matthew Hayden to see the way they open the batting,” describes the England opener. “There is no reason why the likes of Craig and Eoin can’t push themselves into the test arena, especially if they perform well in the short form of the game and in the county championship.”

Twenty20 cricket has certainly had an impact on the way that cricketers play the game with new shots being invented all the time. But test cricket still remains the pinnacle for any young cricketer and Strauss firmly believes that the truly great players will be able to play any format of the game.� He also stresses that the true test for a cricketer is how they perform in the longer format of the game.

“It is still hugely important that players return to their respective counties and play four-day cricket. You have to be able to read the conditions and adapt your game. If it is a flat wicket and the bowlers aren’t doing much then fine, be aggressive. But you have to have a plan b, so if the ball is nipping around and the bowlers are doing plenty then you have to find a way of scoring runs in those conditions as well.”
With the Ashes series fast approaching it is crucial that the England hopefuls play as much first class cricket as possible and with two tests against Bangladesh in July it is pivotal that the players get into the winning mentality.

“I think the best preparation for beating the Aussies away is by winning as many games as we can this summer. We have two opportunities against Bangladesh and four against Pakistan so we need to take as many of those opportunities as possible. Hopefully if we can do well in these games then its gives us a feel good factor and a bit of momentum heading into the summer.”

The last Ashes trip to Australia does not hold fond memories for England fans and in particular Strauss who was a member of the whitewashed side that lost all five test matches. Now, as captain, he plans to return and jokes that things can only improve. “You would like to think that it can’t get any worse, but it is a tough assignment. There is no doubt about that.”

The series might be a long way off but from the glint in the captain’s eye it is clear that the Aussies remain a top priority. If he can achieve the ‘holy grail’ and retain the Ashes in Australia then he will surely go down as one of England’s greatest ever captains.