Strauss still not worth World Cup place
Six days before Andrew Strauss scored his fifth ODI hundred against Pakistan, Derek Pringle, Alec Stewart and Darren Gough had picked their 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup and had left out the England captain
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Six days before Andrew Strauss scored his fifth ODI hundred against Pakistan, Derek Pringle, Alec Stewart and Darren Gough had picked their 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup and had left out the England captain. And despite Strauss's match-winning century, Pringle writes in the Telegraph that Strauss's omission has merit.
Having experience of England in the subcontinent for more than two decades, including their abysmal showing in the 1996 World Cup, their biggest failing has been their under-utilisation of the Powerplays. With that premise, the focus inevitably shifted to picking a top three best-set to remedy that. After a lengthy discussion, we settled on Steven Davies, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen, with Matt Prior as back-up opener.
The argument against Strauss was centered on the likely sluggish nature of the pitches and the difficulty they would present to someone most comfortable scoring his runs square of the wicket.You also need to be able to put pace on the shot with a wristy flick or an artful bottom hand, something Strauss only really possesses when cutting.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo