Strauss believes break will help Ashes bid
Andrew Strauss is eager to resume his day job after missing the tour of Bangladesh for a two-month break that he hopes will help England defend the Ashes in Australia next winter. Strauss controversially opted to miss the trip to the subcontinent and handed the reigns to Alastair Cook with a view to ensuring he won't be burnt out by the time the squad head down under in November and then onto the World Cup.
However, he'll have to wait a little longer to get his hands back on the tiller because, on the merry-go-round that is the England captaincy, Paul Collingwood will take charge for the World Twenty20 in West Indies before Strauss returns for the first Test, against Bangladesh, on May 27. Strauss's decision to rest was criticised in many quarters, but when the move was announced at the end of the South Africa tour he was adamant it was the best thing for the team and has not changed his mind.
"I can understand because their argument that a captain should there all the time," he said, "but as I said I think we have to look at ways of making the most out of the players we've got - both myself and others - and how to get the best out of our players when we need them. The Ashes is a huge series for us and the World Cup a huge one-day tournament for us and we need to be peaking there.
"This wasn't a unilateral decision that I said I didn't want to go to Bangladesh, it was something we have talked about for a couple of months. When you do something different there will always be criticism for it and I hope in time we'll see the benefits. It was about winning two series which we did and me missing it was about prioritising the cricket we have ahead of us."
England returned from the tour having secured a 3-0 one-day whitewash and 2-0 result in the Test series despite some tough resistance from Bangladesh. But there were times during the tour when Cook's lack of captaincy experience was exposed, none more so than the second morning in Dhaka when the hosts' tail added valuable runs.
However, although Strauss admitted he "wasn't up at three every morning" to watch the Tests, he saw enough to be impressed by Cook's leadership and believes he will benefit in the long-term. He also resisted any temptation to captain from afar and his communication with Cook was limited to a few text messages of congratulations.
"I think Alastair has done an excellent job, he has done things his own way, to an extent, which is fine, and he's carried things on," he said during a NatWest Cricket Force event in Middlesex. "You can't argue with the fact they've won three one-dayers and two Tests which builds useful momentum for the season. I think it's been a pretty steep learning curve for him but one from he'll have benefited from immensely.
However, he'll have to wait a little longer to get his hands back on the tiller because, on the merry-go-round that is the England captaincy, Paul Collingwood will take charge for the World Twenty20 in West Indies before Strauss returns for the first Test, against Bangladesh, on May 27. Strauss's decision to rest was criticised in many quarters, but when the move was announced at the end of the South Africa tour he was adamant it was the best thing for the team and has not changed his mind.
"I can understand because their argument that a captain should there all the time," he said, "but as I said I think we have to look at ways of making the most out of the players we've got - both myself and others - and how to get the best out of our players when we need them. The Ashes is a huge series for us and the World Cup a huge one-day tournament for us and we need to be peaking there.
"This wasn't a unilateral decision that I said I didn't want to go to Bangladesh, it was something we have talked about for a couple of months. When you do something different there will always be criticism for it and I hope in time we'll see the benefits. It was about winning two series which we did and me missing it was about prioritising the cricket we have ahead of us."
England returned from the tour having secured a 3-0 one-day whitewash and 2-0 result in the Test series despite some tough resistance from Bangladesh. But there were times during the tour when Cook's lack of captaincy experience was exposed, none more so than the second morning in Dhaka when the hosts' tail added valuable runs.
However, although Strauss admitted he "wasn't up at three every morning" to watch the Tests, he saw enough to be impressed by Cook's leadership and believes he will benefit in the long-term. He also resisted any temptation to captain from afar and his communication with Cook was limited to a few text messages of congratulations.
"I think Alastair has done an excellent job, he has done things his own way, to an extent, which is fine, and he's carried things on," he said during a NatWest Cricket Force event in Middlesex. "You can't argue with the fact they've won three one-dayers and two Tests which builds useful momentum for the season. I think it's been a pretty steep learning curve for him but one from he'll have benefited from immensely.
