Andrew Strauss has demanded that England stayed focussed

Andrew Strauss has demanded that England stayed focussed, Cardiff, May 25, 2011

©AFP

Andrew Strauss has demanded that England stayed focussed, Cardiff, May 25, 2011©AFP

England's World Cup exit

World Cup 2011

Flower cautions on hasty decisions

ESPNcricinfo staff

March 27, 2011

Andy Flower, the England team director, has admitted brief discussions with Andrew Strauss over the captain's future in one-day internationals but wants the dust to settle on their World Cup quarter-final exit before any major decisions are taken. Sri Lanka handed them a 10-wicket thrashing in Colombo to continue England's poor record at the global tournament since 1992.

Rumours about Strauss's future in the 50-over game began while England were still in the World Cup and, although he was quick to quell them, it's likely that consideration will be given to the value of him continuing as the team begin their four-yearly rebuilding cycle.

There is no doubt Strauss still warrants a place on form - he made 334 runs at 47.71 in the World Cup including 158 against India - but he may decide to focus his energies on guiding England to the Test No. 1 ranking.

Andrew Strauss

"I know he would have liked to have finished stronger with the bat personally, having had such a great start to the tournament, but he's been as strong as ever," Flower told Sky Sports. "Whether he focuses on only Test cricket at the moment, I'm not too sure. We've discussed it very briefly.

"But now is the not the time to make too many judgements, too many big decisions. Over the next few weeks, which he will have off, we can talk about that sort of stuff."

The ECB will review the performances over the last six months - which included the major aim of winning in Australia - before the home international season begins against Sri Lanka on May 26. Flower has his own thoughts about lessons that have been learnt and changes that need to be made, but didn't want to elaborate in the immediate aftermath of defeat.

"I don't want to talk too much about those reasons right now," he said. "I think it's best that we travel home, clear our heads and then we can look back on the last few months and review it properly - and probably with a cleaner set of eyes and a clearer mind."

There had been genuine belief that England could challenge for their first World Cup title after an upturn in 50-over form in the last 18 months and their victory at the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. England's limited-overs play had been characterised by a positive approach but that vanished against Sri Lanka which was one of Flower's biggest regrets.

"I thought [it] was a good example of playing with fear. We were very tentative and we obviously had a very poor start," he said. "We are paying the price for that tentativeness."

© ESPN EMEA Ltd

Andrew Strauss and Swann suffering from stomach bugs

World Cup 2011

Strauss, Swann suffering from stomach bugs

Andrew Strauss

Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann missed training in Chennai on Tuesday after being laid low by stomach bugs, though both are expected to be fit in time for England's must-win match against West Indies on Thursday.

Strauss is also England's leading run-scorer in this World Cup with 298 at nearly a run-a-ball, while the first-choice spinner Swann is their joint highest wicket-taker with nine.

England batsman Jonathan Trott, however, was keen to emphasise after the practice session that both unwell players would recover in time for the West Indies match, which England must win to have a chance of making the quarter-finals.

"They are two key players in our side, in anybody's side they would be, especially with Andrew being captain, but I'm fully confident they will be alright," Trott said. "These things are usually 24-48 hour things. I'm glad it happened sort of now and not tomorrow. Hopefully they will be alright tomorrow for training"

England have already lost two high-profile players since arriving in the subcontinent, with batsman Kevin Pietersen returning home for hernia surgery and Stuart Broad picking up a side strain. They play their final league match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where they pulled off a comeback win over South Africa nine days ago. That result has kept them in contention for a quarter-final spot despite shock defeats to Ireland and Bangladesh.

strauss out on 158

strauss out on 158

Andrew Strauss

best inning by Andrew Strauss

india goes down in world cup

Strauss and Bell leave India rattled
india goes down in world cup

India v England, World Cup 2011, Group B, Bangalore

Strauss sets England on course for 338

Andrew Strauss led from the front in another daunting run-chase, compiling a captain's innings of 92 from 90 balls to follow up his agenda-setting 88 against the Netherlands last week, as England pointed themselves in the right direction in pursuit of India's massive target of 339 at Bangalore. Strauss added 68 for the first wicket with Kevin Pietersen, who fell for 31 to a freakish caught-and-bowled from Munaf Patel, and though Jonathan Trott was pinned lbw for 16 by the legspinner Piyush Chawla, England's score at the halfway mark remained a creditable 163 for 2.

Andrew Strauss

However, Ian Bell might well have been dismissed on 17 from the very last ball of the 25th over, when Yuvraj Singh went up for an lbw appeal as Bell attempted and missed a sweep. Though India's subsequent review suggested he was out, with the ball pitching inside the line of off stump, and the Hawkeye replay showing the stumps being broken, umpire Billy Bowden upheld his original verdict, because Bell had come down the wicket by more than 2.5 metres before the moment of impact. It was a controversial ruling, albeit one written into the ICC's playing conditions, and it was one that could yet prove significant.

A positive start was a pre-requisite as England set off in pursuit of what, if successful, would be the fourth-highest in ODI history, and Strauss responded in the perfect fashion when Zaheer Khan, armed with the new ball, strayed onto his pads first-up to gift a flicked four through fine leg. Later in the same over he doubled his tally with a punched square drive, and when Munaf followed a first-ball appeal against Pietersen with a second-ball half-tracker, England were properly up and running.

Strauss had his moments of luck, particularly on 17 when TV replays suggested he had nicked a drive against Zaheer that the Indian fielders were unable to hear against the din of the crowd. Five runs later, he miscued a pull that flew just out of reach of Harbhajan Singh at mid-on, but for the most part he was rewarded for his intent and aggression, and by the end of the batting Powerplay, England were 19 runs to the good, on 77 for 1, compared to India's 10-over total of 58 for 1.

Pietersen was barely less impressive in his short stay, as he pounded four fours in eight Zaheer deliveries including an arrow-straight drive that whistled past the stumps at the non-striker's end. His dismissal when it came was extraordinary, as Munaf was dumped on his backside by a brutally struck drive, only for the ball he had parried from in front of his face to plop into his right hand as he glanced up to regain his bearings.

Trott got off the mark with a crisp drive for three to extra cover, and proved an able ally in a 43-run stand for the second wicket, nudging eight singles to keep the strike rotating, while dragging Harbhajan through midwicket to pick off his solitary boundary. But Chawla, who took a while to locate the perfect length, beat him all ends up with one that hurried on, and he was already walking before umpire Bowden raised his crooked finger.

Bell, England's best player of spin, was beaten twice in two balls as Chawla ripped first his googly then his legspinner to perfection. But faced with an asking rate of roughly six an over, he took over Trott's supporting role while Strauss continued to make the running for England, with Chawla and Yuvraj Singh both dispatched through the leg-side, while Harbhajan was driven inside-out through extra cover in a rare show of flamboyance that might equally have been a case of being beaten in flight. Either way, England remained very much in the game, and the Bangalore crowd was awaiting an excuse to rediscover its voice

Australia v England, 5th Test, Sydney, 5th day

England complete crushing Ashes victory

England 644 (Cook 189, Prior 118, Bell 115) beat Australia 280 (Johnson 53, Anderson 4-66) and 281 (Smith 54*, Anderson 3-61, Tremlett 3-79) by an innings and 83 runs

England ended 24 years of hurt in crushing style at the SCG as they secured an innings-and-83-run victory to take the Ashes series 3-1. The crowning moment came shortly before noon when Chris Tremlett found Michael Beer's inside edge to bowl him leg stump. It was the first time in their history that Australia have suffered three innings defeats in a series and left nobody in any doubt where the balance of power now lies.

The England players immediately embraced at the striker's end and savoured their moment in a tight team huddle. This has been a victory fashioned by exemplary planning and hard work where no stone has been left unturned. The defeat in Perth, by 267 runs, which levelled the series for Australia, only inspired the visitors to hit new heights and they proceeded to crush the hosts in Melbourne and Sydney.

England were frustrated for a while as showers scudded across the ground to cause a 45-minute suspension and then by an 86-run stand between Steve Smith and Peter Siddle. However, Graeme Swann broke through shortly before the new ball and a short time later Tremlett removed the last obstacle.

Smith and Siddle at least showed some fight as they came out and played their shots. Siddle's batting improvement since his return from injury is one of few bonuses to emerge from a terrible series for the hosts, and it highlights their problems that his run-scoring record is not far off that of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke.

The England bowlers couldn't quite recapture the intensity of the fourth evening when they claimed the extra half hour to try and wrap up victory. Tremlett appeared a little down on pace after his roaring burst the previous day, but England knew all they had to do was remain patient and their moment would arrive.

Swann had bowled well in the innings without reward so when he had Siddle taken at deep midwicket it was deserved success for giving Andrew Strauss control at vital stages. That was Swann's final bowl, though, as the new ball was taken straight away and Anderson, who will head home for ten days' rest, found Ben Hilfenhaus' edge to give the impressive Matt Prior another catch.

By now the Barmy Army were in full voice. Smith had time to bash his way to a second Test fifty, but he knew the end was close as he swung from the hip. A single exposed Beer to three balls of Tremlett's over and he only needed one delivery. England will party the day and night away in Sydney, yet knowing the focus of Strauss and Andy Flower they will soon be back preparing for the next challenge. Next stop: the best team in the world.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at Cricinfo