http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AJ-Strauss-c964 announces retirement from professional cricket – Cricket News Update
Calling time on a career that spans nearly 9 years, England’s Andrew Strauss announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket today on August 29, after having served as captain of the Test side for 3 years. Meanwhile, ODI skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Cook-c1026 has been selected to add the Test captaincy to his list of duties.
“After much thought over the last few weeks, I have decided to step down as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 Test captain and announce my retirement from all forms of cricket,” said Strauss. “It has clearly been a tough decision to make, but I believe that it is both in the best interests of the England cricket team and myself to step down at this stage.
“I am extremely proud of everything I have achieved as a cricketer, and I have found myself very fortunate to play in an era when some of English cricket's greatest moments have occurred,” he added. “I have loved every minute of it.”
The decision comes following a rough patch, not only in Strauss’ personal career, but for the entire England team and management – in addition to dealing with a rampaging South African side which has stripped the Poms of both their top Test and ODI team status on home soil, players and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have been embroiled in the controversy surrounding http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KP-Pietersen-c1806.
Strauss, a veteran of 100 Tests (7037 runs) and 127 ODIs (4205 runs), remained a vital cog in the English batting order throughout his career, and after making his national debut in 2003, took over the Test captaincy in early 2009, following the fall-out between then skipper Pietersen and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Peter-Moores-c81848.
The 35-year-old’s reign as Test captain led to some bright moments for the English side, including consecutive Ashes victories in 2009 and 2010-11, and the top Test team ranking which the Poms maintained for a year. Under his leadership, the team won 24 of the 50 Tests they played, but things took a downhill turn with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757’s ongoing tour of England.
Unable to match up to their visitors, the team lost the 3-match extended-overs series, 0-2, and the second ODI of the limited-overs series, which cost them their number 1 status on the ICC’s Top Test and ODI team rankings. In addition to the team’s failures, Strauss himself had been undergoing a batting slump which intensified during the series – despite having reached a landmark 100 Tests, he only managed to score 107 runs in six innings.
Added to the performance woes were behind-the-scenes disturbances regarding the Pietersen controversy, which hinted at unease in the dressing room, and a particular tension between Strauss and Pietersen. However, the 35-year-old has maintained that the Pietersen saga had nothing to do with his decision to retire, while the lack of runs played a key role. The retirement sees Strauss joining the ranks of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Michael-Paul-Vaughan-c76145 – both of whom relinquished captaincy following series against Graeme Smith-led South African sides.
Following the announcement of his retirement, Strauss’ contributions were hailed by new Test skipper Cook, and ECB chief executive http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World Twenty20 in September, where they will be playing as defending champions.
The team has until November 2012 to recover from their thrashing at the hands of the Proteas, and settle in with their new Test skipper, before they go into their next extended-overs series – a 4-match series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in November/December. The implications of Strauss’ retirement for England's Ashes 2013 campaign remain to be seen.
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