The Flintoff-Strauss debate returns

England thought their captaincy problems were solved with the return of Michael Vaughan for the CB Series but the hamstring tear he suffered against New Zealand on Tuesday has brought the issue to the fore again. Richard Hobson writes in The Times that should Andrew Strauss be appointed captain, Andrew Flintoff’s batting and bowling would improve.

In the absence of Kevin Pietersen, Flintoff is the only world-class player England have at one-day level and the ideal scenario would have him agreeing to continue without the responsibility of leadership and Strauss, who made a strong impression in the second half of the English season, taking over at the helm.

Simon Briggs suggests in The Daily Telegraph that Strauss might be the beneficiary of England’s Ashes disaster.

After leading the team throughout last summer's Test series against Pakistan, Strauss had to deal with the disappointment of being returned to the ranks for the Ashes Test series. In the long run, however, this may work to his advantage. Such was the ferocity of Australia's cricket during the Ashes that the job represented something of a poisoned chalice.

In The Independent, Angus Fraser argues that Strauss should be Vaughan’s long-term successor.

Strauss has a similar approach as Vaughan and would ensure that England's current planning and strategy would continue throughout the series. It would also allow England to get the best out of their most important player, something Flintoff was unable to do during the Ashes.