Strauss thrust into captaincy hot seat
The England captaincy baton has passed from one South African to another with Andrew Strauss named as Kevin Pietersen's replacement for the tour of West Indies
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Strauss was the obvious candidate for the ECB in their moment of crisis, but it still marks a remarkable turnaround for someone who, even as recently as the India Test series, was under pressure for his place. However, back-to-back centuries in Chennai have secured his long-term future at the top of England's order. England will now crave some of that stability in his leadership.
Many feel it is an honour that should have already come Strauss's way on a permanent basis, two-and-a-half years ago, after he impressed during a locum spell in 2006 as a stand-in for Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff. He secured a 2-0 series win against Pakistan, but was then overlooked to lead the Ashes tour in favour of Flintoff.
Although this appointment is only for the four Tests against West Indies which start on February 4 in Jamaica, it is hard to see beyond Strauss for the full-time post.
"He led the England team with distinction in 2006 when Michael Vaughan was injured," was Hugh Morris's brief comment on Strauss's promotion.
It is believed Strauss has been given assurances that he is not a stop-gap captain, although discussions are ongoing as to whether his role will include limited-overs cricket. At the time of appointing Pietersen as captain last August, Geoff Miller, the national selector, made it clear the ECB intended to have one captain for both formats.
Strauss, however, hasn't been part of the one-day set-up since the 2007 World Cup, but has always harboured ambitions to return to the limited-overs side. With the ICC World Twenty20 coming up in June and a 50-over World Cup two years away, England's one-day strategy is again in turmoil.
For now, though, Strauss has two weeks to get his mind right before the squad departs for West Indies on January 21. Suddenly, he has the weight of a nation on his shoulders.
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