Strauss must make England frontrunners

David Gower, writing in the Sunday Times, says England, under Andrew Strauss, should ensure they don't let a position of advantage, which they have reached this series, slip like South Africa had earlier in the year. He compares Strauss to Michael Vaughan and says there are similarities in approaches between the two, though Strauss is yet to encounter the nail-biting pressure situations that Vaughan tackled so well.

Overall, the England captaincy appears to be in good hands. From the outside the captain is like an iceberg, in that we don’t see the bulk of his work in the dressing room and at close quarters with his players. We do see him at press conferences and in television interviews, where he handles himself with aplomb. The trick from his end is to avoid any of the traps set by the inquisitors, but even they are less cunning than they once were.

In the Independent on Sunday, Stephen Brenkley looks at what's changed for England since the Moores-Pietersen meltdown just a year ago.

Strauss, it can be seen in hindsight, should have been captain two years earlier. But had that happened he might have been drubbed in Australia (as was Andrew Flintoff) and fizzled out. Yet the selectors should not be patting themselves on the back. He was always an obvious choice. It is what selectors are paid for. Flower was more of a risk because he was an appointment from within.

Steve James, in the Sunday Telegraph, says England are well equipped to reverse the trend at their worst venue in South Africa. And so does Nasser Hussain, in his daily dossier in the Mail on Sunday.

In the Observer, Vic Marks says England have blossomed under Andy Flower's careful cultivation and that the coach and captain Andrew Strauss make a brilliant combination.