Sir Andrew Strauss appointed Chair of ECB’s Cricket Committee [Update Post #89]

[The Viper]

England win World Cup: Andrew Strauss says 'someone was looking down' during final

Andrew Strauss says he felt "someone was looking down" on him and the England team during Sunday's World Cup final victory.

Strauss was England's director of cricket but left the role in 2018 to support his wife, Ruth, when she was being treated for terminal cancer.

He was speaking at the launch of the Ruth Strauss Foundation Day.

It will take place on the second day of the second Ashes Test at Lord's next month.

"We are going to try and turn Lord's red for the day as a testament to my wife Ruth, but more importantly as a way of increasing awareness and raising funds for the Ruth Strauss Foundation," Strauss told BBC Sport.

"I am incredibly passionate about it."

Ruth Strauss died, aged 46, as a result of a rare lung cancer in December.

Players will wear commemorative shirts - including the Ruth Strauss Foundation logo, red caps and red numbers - during the second day of the Test between England and Australia on 15 August, with spectators also encouraged to wear red clothing.

Former England captain Strauss says he has spoken with the The McGrath Foundation, who hold a similar day during Test matches in Sydney to raise money in memory of former Australia bowler Glenn McGrath's late wife, Jane.

Strauss is credited with helping to turn around England's fortunes in white-ball cricket as they were transformed from a humiliating early exit at the 2015 World Cup to a dramatic victory in Sunday's final against New Zealand.

"It was an incredibly emotional day to have my kids there," Strauss said.

"It was my son's 11th birthday as well and he was there watching it all unfold.

"Sometimes you get the rub of green and feel like someone is looking down on you and I definitely felt that, not just for me, but all of English cricket on Sunday."

'We need to aim to be like Australia

England's World Cup win was a first for the men's side and followed Strauss' decision to prioritise 50-over cricket since the previous tournament four years ago.

"It was all about Test cricket and then the World Cup would come around and we would be playing the wrong style, hadn't put the right preparation in and we would give ourselves a slap on wrist and say 'that wasn't very good' and repeat the same mistake next time," Strauss said.

"I felt with the World Cup in 2019 in England we couldn't do that.

"I would have been so angry with myself and others if we had done that again."

The change in approach has arguably come at the detriment of the Test team, with the side struggling away from home in particular, losing away series to India, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand in the past four years.

Strauss said England now have to aim to be like the "Australia team of the late 1990s and early 2000s" that dominated in Test and 50-over cricket.

"That Australia team demonstrated you can be number one in the world in all formats and dominate," Strauss said.

"That has got to be the ambition for us.

"I don't think by prioritising one you can't prioritise both."

'We wouldn't have won without Morgan

One of Strauss' key decisions regarding the one-day team was to keep Eoin Morgan as captain after the 2015 World Cup when he led England during their group-stage exit.

Strauss said England "would not have won the World Cup without Morgan".

"He has embodied everything we have tried to do in white-ball cricket," Strauss added.

"It has been his sole focus. He has pushed and driven the team to get over the line."

Responding to reports Morgan is considering his future as England's one-day captain after the win, Strauss said: "To stay on as captain he needs to be driven and motivated to push people on, as he has done over the last four years.

"If he has the bit between his teeth then we've seen just what a fantastic leader he is.

"The rest of the team will follow him until the last day he is on a cricket field, and he needs to decide when that is."

'Archer should play in the Ashes'

Fast bowler Jofra Archer was one of England's star players at the World Cup, taking 20 wickets in 11 matches and bowling the crucial super over in the final.

The 24-year-old, who was born in Barbados, only made his England debut in May having qualified in March after a change in residency rules, and is now being tipped to be given a Test debut in the Ashes.

"I think if he is fit enough to get through a Test match, he plays," Strauss said.

"He is a point of difference player. He gives us something we otherwise wouldn't have and he is just so good for a 24-year-old.

"I am struggling to think of another player who has had an impact he has had in such a short space of time."

Strauss keen to reconcile with Pietersen

Strauss is keen to reconcile with former England team-mate Kevin Pietersen, having previously said "there is a massive trust issue between me and Kevin" when he took over as England's director of cricket in May 2015.

Strauss captained Pietersen in the England team that became world number one in the Test rankings but the pair had a difficult relationship.

Pietersen was dropped for a Test in 2012 after reports he sent derogatory text messages about his team-mates - including Strauss - to South Africa players.

Strauss apologised in 2014 for making an offensive remark about Pietersen during a live broadcast on Sky Sports and in 2015 effectively ended the batsman's England career after it was suggested he could be reinstated for that summer's Ashes.

But Strauss said he now believed "bygones are bygones".

"What I have been through in the last six or seven months makes you realise the little things in life are little things and not to make them drive the rest of your life," he said.

"I am 100% looking forward to spending time with Kevin and reliving those great moments in an England shirt again."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/49001985

 

[sweep_shot]

Strauss and Andy Flower really started England's momentum and Morgan was the finishing touch.

Strauss has always been humble and classy. Great guy.

 

[Slim]

Strauss has always been classy and a total champ. What a director he has turned out to be. Wish we could get him for our team.

 

[Markhor]

Deserves a lot of credit for making the right hires and setting the vision in place.

 

[UP]

Desi leachers need to learn a lesson from this. And here we have Hafeez who is in no mood to retire. And then they complain they were not given respect but rather kicked out.

 

[MenInG]

Former England captain Andrew Strauss has been described as "an exceptional person" after receiving a knighthood in ex-Prime Minister Theresa May's resignation honours list.

Strauss, 42, led England to two Ashes wins, as well as the number one Test ranking, in his 50 Tests as captain.

Ex-England coach Andy Flower, in charge during Strauss' time as captain, also paid tribute to his former skipper.

"I cannot think of a man more worthy of the honour," Flower said.

"As a player he was tough and resilient, as a captain he balanced a firm hand and moral compass with a compassion and empathy that meant he was loved and respected in the dressing room by his players and the staff."

Geoffrey Boycott and Andrew Strauss given knighthoods
Another former England captain, Geoffrey Boycott, also received a knighthood.

Strauss scored 7,037 runs at an average of 40.91 in 100 England Tests and joined the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as England's director of cricket after his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2012.

He left the role last year to support his wife Ruth, who was being treated for terminal cancer, and went on to launch a foundation in her name after her death in December 2018

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison added: "Andrew was invited to shape the future strategy of the men's international teams - in part to enable an environment that would see England as live contenders for the World Cup in 2019, an aim they so thrillingly delivered on just a few short months ago.

"It was with the same class and courage that he and his family set up the Ruth Strauss Foundation to raise money and awareness just a few months after losing Ruth to a rare form of cancer.

"Aside from his achievements on and off the pitch, Andrew is widely regarded as an exceptional person in our game and this wonderful accolade will be celebrated around the cricketing world."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/49646171

 

[James]

Arise Sir Strauss!

 

[Savak]

I highly admire this guy

 

[MenInG]

Sir Andrew Strauss appointed Chair of ECB’s Cricket Committee

ECB NEWSROOM - Sep 12, 2019 13:24 BST


The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced that Sir Andrew Strauss has been appointed Chair of its Cricket Committee.

He will lead the Committee in helping to ensure there is a thriving professional game at the heart of the sport. This includes monitoring and developing the delivery of Men’s Professional Cricket, Women’s Professional Cricket, Disability Cricket, National Counties, Clubs & Universities Cricket and the Talent Pathway.

In August, ECB’s Board unanimously voted for Sir Andrew to take on this role after he was recommended by the Nominations Committee.

Sir Andrew starts this role following a highly successful cricket career both on and off the field. As ECB’s Director of England Cricket for three and a half years, he oversaw the creation of the England men’s team performance strategy and laid the foundations that led to this year’s victory in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup – an ambition he set early in the job. This followed an outstanding playing career which saw him captain England during their 2010/11 Ashes win in Australia and play in 100 Test matches.

He stepped down from his role as ECB’s Director of England Cricket in October 2018 to support his family during his wife Ruth’s battle with cancer which, devastatingly, she lost in December last year. He showed typical class and courage in setting up The Ruth Strauss Foundation in her memory to raise money and awareness for rare forms of cancer.

His most recent accolade was being awarded a knighthood this week in Theresa May's resignation honours list, which has been widely acclaimed.

He takes over from Peter Wright who stepped down as Chair of the Cricket Committee after nine years in the role.

Commenting on the announcement, ECB’s Chief Executive Officer, Tom Harrison said:

“Sir Andrew has and always will be a massive part of the cricket family and I am thrilled that he is returning to ECB in a role he is perfectly placed to take on.

“He excels at everything he sets his mind to – from winning the Ashes as captain of England and shaping the culture of a World Cup-winning team as our Director of England Cricket, to supporting his family under unimaginable circumstances and launching The Ruth Strauss Foundation which recently raised £500,000 at the Lord’s Ashes Test.

“He is an inspiration to all who work with him and I know I speak on behalf of everyone at ECB and the wider game when I say we are delighted to welcome him back in this important role.

“I’d also like to thank the excellent Peter Wright for his nine-year stint as Chair of the Cricket Committee. He was a top-class Chair who cares passionately about the continued success of the professional and international game in England and Wales.”

Also commenting, the new Chair of ECB’s Cricket Committee, Sir Andrew Strauss said:

“It is a real pleasure to return to ECB in this new capacity. ECB and the whole cricket family have been a vital source of support over an extremely difficult year and it’s really great to be back at Lord’s, a place that has become a second home to me.

“I’m extremely passionate about developing and growing cricket in England and Wales and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Cricket Committee to continually drive all aspects of the professional game, including women’s, men’s and disability cricket.

“I’ve seen first-hand how this summer of cricket has inspired more people to fall in love with the sport and I can’t wait to help build on its success and support the roll-out of ECB’s strategy to grow the game, Inspiring Generations.”

The ECB Board delegates authority to Committees which are responsible for specific aspects of ECB governance. Like the other Board Committees, the Cricket Committee is made up of ECB Board Members and Executives, representatives from the cricket network and independent experts.

 

[topspin]

Averaging 40.91 in tests is the benchmark for knighthood in the modern game

 

[MenInG]

Averaging 40.91 in tests is the benchmark for knighthood in the modern game

Its what you do with your career that counts - and he has done well.