Andrew Strauss Profile

A compact left-hander with a preference for pummelling the ball square off the back foot with a crunching cut, Andrew Strauss has worked out a superb technique for Test cricket. He put early problems against Shane Warne behind him to make two hundreds in the epic 2005 Ashes series, and added another big one (161) in 2009 to set up England's first victory over the old enemy at Lord's since 1934. Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart, by contrast, only ever managed one century apiece against Australia. ORIGINAL ARTICLE  READ FULL ARTICLE

Andrew Strauss Profile

Andrew Strauss Profile

Calm and urbane, Strauss put the disappointment of being passed over as England's captain for the 2006-07 Ashes series - probably a godsend, as it turned out, as even Doctor Who would have had trouble with those rampant whitewash-bound Aussies - to bounce back in 2009 and orchestrate the recapture of the urn. Strauss's early county cricket with Middlesex did not exactly suggest a star in the making, but a century in 2003 against Lancashire, with Andrew Flintoff charging in, set the selectors sniffing - and also made Strauss believe he had what it took. After a few one-day caps that winter Strauss was called up for the first Test against New Zealand in 2004 after Michael Vaughan twisted his knee in the Lord's nets. Strauss responded with a confident century, and was unlucky to miss another one in the second innings when Nasser Hussain ran him out 17 short. But Hussain had seen enough: with Vaughan set to return, he announced his immediate retirement, confident that Strauss was the real deal. Strauss has been emphasising that almost ever since, responding to being dropped from the one-day team by upping his strike-rate, and probably saving his Test career after a poor run with an eight-hour 177 in a series-clinching victory over New Zealand early in 2008. That century had been a long time coming: after ten tons in his first 30 Tests, Strauss did not reach three figures in his next 15 games - and the knives were well and truly out when he fell for a duck, driving loosely, in the first innings of that Napier match. After an early flirtation with captaincy in 2006 - he memorably dubbed himself "the stand-in for the stand-in" in the absence of the injured Vaughan and Flintoff - Strauss inherited the armband again early in 2009, after the messy sacking of Kevin Pietersen and coach Peter Moores. It was not a good way to start - but Strauss has hardly put a foot wrong since. Full name Andrew John Strauss Born March 2, 1977, Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa Current age 33 years 283 days Major teams England, Middlesex, Northern DistrictsNickname Straussy, Levi, Mareman, Muppet Playing role Opening batsman Batting style Left-hand bat Bowling style Left-arm medium Height 5 ft 11 in Education Radley College, Durham University 

Batting and fielding averages 

Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St Tests 79 143 6 5888 177 42.97 11754 50.09 19 21 729 9 89 0 ODIs 113 112 8 3692 154 35.50 4621 79.89 5 24 403 22 49 0 T20Is 4 4 0 73 33 18.25 64 114.06 0 0 9 0 1 0 First-class 204 362 19 14431 177 42.07 

38 63 

181 0 List A 240 233 14 7118 163 32.50 

9 46 

82 0 Twenty20 28 28 0 519 60 18.53 442 117.42 0 2 73 3 12 0 Bowling averages 

Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10 Tests 79 - - - - - - - - - - - - ODIs 113 1 6 3 0 - - - 3.00 - 0 0 0 T20Is 4 - - - - - - - - - - - -