Filed under: Cricket, England Cricket, ODIs
Stuart Broad's ringing endorsement of Andrew Strauss as England's ODI captain is an indication of the loyalty the two-time Ashes winning leader inspires.Broad's insistance that Strauss has the backing of the entire dressing room, is the best captain in the 50-over format and also one of the best batsmen is a well thought out and equally well-presented argument.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Broad said: "My personal belief is that Straussy should keep going with the job. He's done a fantastic job over the last couple of years when he has been captain and he's one of our best one-day batsmen.
"It would be a real shame if he decided he couldn't play one-day cricket any more. Hopefully he will continue. He's certainly got the backing of the whole changing room."
There are two issues with the Nottinghamshire seamer's full backing for the 34-year-old Strauss, in the wake of former England captain Michael Vaughan suggesting Broad should be given the chance to lead the ODI side instead.
Strauss is thought to be considering his position in the ODI set-up, with an eye on concentrating on Test cricket and retaining the Ashes when the Aussie's are next on tour.
If Strauss does decide that he wants to continue in both formats of the game, that decision could yet be taken out of his hands when he meets the ECB for a meeting next month to evaluate England's winter performances in Australia and the ICC World Cup.
No one can dispute Strauss' ability as a leader, especially in the Test arena. He proved that by the way he totally out-thought Ricky Ponting in Australia during the 3-1 series win.
But the time has come for a change in the 50-over game. The time has come to end England's miserable inability to make any kind of impact in the shorter format and that will require a whole new set of ideas and planning which has to start now.
Geoffrey Boycott is never slow to share his opinion on any cricketing matter and the first thing he said regarding England as India were lifting the ICC trophy in Mumbai was the need for a radical re-think on the approach to the 50-over game.
Plans have to be put in place now for the 2015 event and the fact that Strauss will be 38 by the time the World Cup is contested again should preclude him from being considered as captain.
What is the point of stumbling along for another summer, possibly two, with Strauss at the helm, when a new man will be needed in four years time?
A fresh approach with a younger man as leader is vital and Broad is a live candidate, despite his apparent reluctance to undermine Strauss.
There is no reason why England cannot have split captains for the two formats of the game and for a new ODI skipper to be announced this summer would give Andy Flower chance to work intensively on the different skill sets required to make a real challenge for the 50-over title.
Flower has a bunch of young, hungry cricketers such as Steven Finn, Ajmal Shahzad, Adil Rashid, Jade Dernbach, Craig Kieswetter and many others who can provide the backbone of a ODI side for the next four years.
Fresh ideas, a fresh approach and a more aggressive style is required as captain and England will be missing a trick if Strauss is allowed to carry on in the 50-over game.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/04/13/cricket-england-one-day-andrew-strauss-quit-captaincy/
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