Strauss Waltzes Into Captain's Role With His Usual Aplomb
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday January 12, 2009
Pietersen was worth a try, but here comes the true contender, writes Scyld Berry.
NOBODY, on being appointed England's Test captain, has been better equipped for the role than the new incumbent, 31-year-old Andrew Strauss. Or needed to be, given how close to civil war the England dressing-room is perceived to have come in the past month. Strauss is an informed, aware citizen of the world; experienced in all forms of media; friendly with everyone in the dressing-room, yet not too close; and is the man to reunite it. Above all, perhaps, is his lucidity of thought and expression.He knows his own mind and how to articulate it. Kevin Pietersen knew his own mind, too, but not other people's. Pietersen wanted to reach his goal as quickly as he could; Strauss will get there more slowly - before July 8, England hope - and will carry people with him. Pietersen's captaincy was a passionate affair, a wild fling; it was worth trying, to see if it would work. Strauss's captaincy is likely to resemble his own marriage: ardent and committed, yet enduringly steady. On Friday, Strauss dealt with the media in the same way that he bats: firstly absorbing, never confronting, then responding positively. Take one example. Asked about whether he had thought twice about taking on the captaincy, he paused for a moment, as usual, then listed his motivations."The key to these sorts of things is that you don't jump in. You should think it through carefully before committing yourself. Regardless of your sense of duty to the England cricket team, or your sense of duty to teammates, the crux of the matter is how much do you actually want to do the job, and I came to the realisation that I'm very keen to do the job."Strauss went on to give praise where it was due, but not where it wasn't, to Peter Moores: "We will miss his energy and enthusiasm . . . I can't fault his sentiments in any shape or form." And he followed up by reiterating that results were the responsibility of the players, not the coach. So no excuses.But the main probing was on his relationships with Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff. Pietersen, on the phone, had been "very supportive," Strauss said."There is some bridge-building to be done, I'm not going to lie about that, but what is crucial is that on the pitch everyone knows his roles and responsibilities and buys into what the captain and coach set out."On Flintoff, Strauss said: "Fred and I have always got on very well. I suppose there have been issues made when I was overlooked as captain for the tour of Australia, but he is an incredible influence in the dressing-room and my relationship with him will be crucial, as it will with KP and Colly [Paul Collingwood] and the other senior players." Strauss added that captaincy suits him because it stops him thinking about batting when he is not batting; and most England captains have eventually lost form because they had to think about others so much.As each character came up - Steve Harmison "can turn himself into one of the great bowlers for England in the next three or four years" - Strauss would usually say he got on very well with him.And no doubt it is true. He gets on with anyone. Instead of fobbing off a boring fan, as everybody else would, Strauss engages him in conversation. He once told me he has only become really angry with a couple of people, when they deceived him.The experiment with Pietersen was worth taking because Strauss was waiting to pick up the pieces. Strauss could have done the job at any time in the past four years but now he knows his own game fully, he can do it better still. And he did do it well during his five Tests in charge when filling in for Michael Vaughan. Australians may laugh, but the England and Wales Cricket Board and Hugh Morris have done a good job in tackling the fault lines, narrowing them, and making England's cricket stronger under Strauss.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
