When England won the World Twenty20 there were many good things to come out of it. Being recognised as the best team in the world for one, thumping the Aussies in a final being another. Yet, what I didn’t like about it was all the debating and speculating over Andrew Strauss’s position as Captain of the One Day team. One very notable triumph in a different format of the game and everyone had suddenly forgotten about the ICC Champions Trophy (where England reached the semi-final after having just lost 6-1 in a ODI series at home to Australia) and a series win in South Africa (no mean feat itself!). As attention turns to the ICC World Cup in February, I cannot understand why the same question over Strauss’s role in the One Day team has come up again! One of the lamest reasons for ditching him has been his supposed inability to hit over the top - a feature which I know is vital in order t o take advantage of the initial power play over’s and even more vital when spin will seek to strangle an innings in the middle passage of play. Yet, one of the things that has impressed me so much about Strauss, is that he has ADAPTED and IMPROVED. He has realised what’s needed and sought to add these dimensions to his game. In the first ODI against Pakistan he hit some gloriously aggressive strokes, while in the second, he showed the value of having a proper opening batsman within the One Day squad - being able to anchor an innings and then shift tempo. His 126 was pure class.
NB: I am soooo pleased that the first two ODI matches have been competitive after my earlier doubts! It’s good to see England stretched and tested - lets see what certain players are really made of!
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