Strauss: I'll reap rewards from rest
Andrew Strauss is convinced England's Ashes chances have been boosted by his decision to miss the recent tour of Bangladesh.
Strauss and bowler James Anderson were both rested as England took the chance to blood new players and give Alastair Cook some leadership experience.
Critics of the decision said Strauss, as England captain, should lead the team at all times and it is an argument he understands.
But Strauss insists England were right to prioritise next winter's Ashes defence Down Under and the ICC World Cup.
"We have some really important cricket coming up. The Ashes is a huge series for us and the World Cup is a huge one-day series for us. We need to be peaking there," said Strauss.
"I can understand the argument that the captain should be there all the time but I still think it has been the right decision in the long-term interests of the England side.
"Come the Ashes we will need all the energy and enthusiasm we can muster. We have to look at ways of getting the most out of our players when we need them to be playing at their best.
"I genuinely believe the benefits of me taking time off will be seen later on in the summer and into the winter.
"The break has done its job. I feel refreshed and ready to go. I am chomping at the bit now, I can't wait to get out there and play."
Strauss does not envisage any problem taking the reins back from Cook, who made a few tactical errors in Bangladesh but otherwise impressed with his leadership of the team.
But he has told England they will need to improve substantially if they are to mount a successful Ashes challenge on Australian soil for the first time since 1986-87.
This winter, England beat South Africa in the one-day series and drew the Test series before winning in both formats in Bangladesh.
Strauss said: "We head into the season in a good frame of mind after a generally successful winter and now we need to move forward and continue that winning momentum for the next six months.
"To win in Australia you have to do a lot of things outstandingly well and we probably haven't done enough of that over the winter.
"I have some thoughts on how we can improve over the next nine months and now is the time to start implementing them.
"It was fantastic to see some guys in Bangladesh who hadn't been involved in the Test team have a go. Steve Finn has done fantastically well, Tim Bresnan really enhanced his credentials out there.
"The batsmen did a really good job and went on to get big scores, which will be crucial, and the bowlers will have benefited from the conditions out there too."
Strauss had words of caution for Stuart Broad over his dealings with umpires.
Broad has been in hot water for either not appealing properly or for reacting dramatically when a shout goes against him.
"It is something he has got to be aware of," Strauss said, as he took a break from helping out at the NatWest Cricket Force scheme.
"It has been picked up on. He hasn't had any complaints from the match referees but it is not a direction you really want to go down because it ends up distracting you from what is important.
"He has to be careful but I am sure he understand the situation and will rein himself in."
