ECB announcement due today

The ECB last night called a press conference for midday today, leading to wild speculation as to whether it was KP, Strauss or just another boring sponsorship deal.

However, given that the press release was issued at 22:10pm last night, you can be sure that it is going to be a pretty big announcement. Many seem to think that Strauss is about to step down.

So, what are your thoughts? If, as expected, Strauss does step down, would you keep him in the team as an opener? Or, would you blood a new opener? This could go one of two ways - either invest in the likes of Joe Root early, and accept that there will be failures, or go for the likes of Compton or Carberry who are far more experienced but more short term options.

I also feel that Strauss is to step down but i would'nt have him leave the team just yet. Keep him in for another series and see if his form can return without the pressure of leading the team. Lets not forget that an on form Strauss is an excellent opener.

How old is Strauss now?

Surely if he concentrates on batting alone he could give a ew more years, he is still a good cricketer.

I think its going to be Strauss calling time on his England career. I don't think he will just step down as captain, I think that he will retire from international cricket.

Would be pretty happy with that if the case, we have carried him as a batsman for too long and the post-number one crash in form has been similar to that after winning the Ashes 2005. Time for a new start I think.

Biltong wrote:How old is Strauss now?

Surely if he concentrates on batting alone he could give a ew more years, he is still a good cricketer.

He's 35. For me that's a bit old to say he can get back to form. His decline is only following the pattern you see with a lot of players barring some notable exceptions (e.g. Kallis, Alec Stewart)

Are there immediate replacements for Strauss at the ready though? I say give him another series to see how he goes and start getting the young potential replacements into setup now.

VTR wrote:

Biltong wrote:How old is Strauss now?

Surely if he concentrates on batting alone he could give a ew more years, he is still a good cricketer.

He's 35. For me that's a bit old to say he can get back to form. His decline is only following the pattern you see with a lot of players barring some notable exceptions (e.g. Kallis, Alec Stewart)

Yeah, that is a bit on the wrong side of 30.

35 is not that bad, he can go on to 37-38 if in form. Thats why i say give him another series and not forget just how good an opener he is when on form.

Thats if he wants to play on though

There may not be eirebilly. Just my take on it is I don't see him hanging around as just a player if he relinquishes the captaincy. Could be wrong of course, maybe the press conference is to announce the exciting launch of Five5 cricket!

Could it be that the ECB is going to award SA a grant for developing more talent?

Just a joke boys.

Biltong wrote:Could it be that the ECB is going to award SA a grant for developing more talent?

Biltong you tart

Only interested if its better quality than Kieswetter - you can have him back!

Alas, it looks like it will be announced that this is the end of the road for Strauss.
He will always be remembered as the guy who regained the Ashes in England and retained them in Australia - and not many have done that.
Staying on and getting an excellent captaincy record tarnished would not have been something he or his fans would have liked.
The only plus side - from a strengthening-the-batting stance if nothing else - is that Strauss's departure might make it easier for KP to come back.

eirebilly wrote:

Biltong wrote:Could it be that the ECB is going to award SA a grant for developing more talent?

Biltong you tart

I was being serious.

VTR wrote:Only interested if its better quality than Kieswetter - you can have him back!

Well, if you get them old you know we didn't want them

I mean really, who did you get from us that was world class?

FerN wrote:

VTR wrote:Only interested if its better quality than Kieswetter - you can have him back!

Well, if you get them old you know we didn't want them

I mean really, who did you get from us that was world class?

The one who's name may not be mentioned.

I expect Strauss to step down. The media usually know what they're talking about in these cases. I also somewhat saw this coming when he curiously decided not to play in Middx's current Championship match that he had previously been made available for.

If that is what happens he has made the right decision if he feels that he cannot motivate himself to take the team any further. I'd have liked to have seen him carry on for another couple of years but once someone can't motivate themselves any longer it becomes a slippery slope.

I guess the question is not who the new captain will be (Cook), but whether Strauss remains available for selection. Were he not to retire I would pick him for India. However, my gut feeling is that he will retire completely. At 35 he is young to do so but I don't think he's the type who loves cricket so much that he would go on and on. He would also realise (rightly or wrongly) that he would immediately expose himself to question marks about his place.

As Fists suggests in his opening post, the press conference is certainly going to be significant.

If it was a fairly ordinary matter (say, a commercial sponsorship), the ECB would not have waited until after ten o'clock at night to announce the conference.

Unfortunately, like most of you, I suspect that Strauss will confirm he's standing down as England captain.

This moves onto the second part of the conference as I see it unfolding. Strauss can't realistically resign as skipper and leave his playing position up in the air. I therefore suspect that Strauss will also confirm that he's standing down as an England player. I can't see that he would be prepared to confirm his willingness to continue playing unless matters (which are personal as well as captaincy related) had been resolved with Pietersen - something which clearly hasn't happened.

My view is that he feels he's done his time and the job as long and well as he could and now needs a break. Anyway, we'll soon know for sure.

On a wider point I think its significant that recent England captains seem to have a shorter shelf-life than others around the world. Atherton did 5 years, Stewart 2, Hussain 4, Vaughan 5 (including a year or more out injured) and now Strauss just 3 and a half. That is particularly short in comparison to others around the world including Ponting (8 years), and Smith (9 and still going strong)

I wonder if that is down to bad management (hard to argue in the case of Strauss), relentless scheduling (obviously true though little can be done about that), or too much media scrutiny (surely also true elsewhere)

Perhaps they are announcing that KP is infact the man behind the incoherent ramblings of serial internet WUM/England hater/Strauss baiter/sociopath sonic_boom ( aka ...well the list is too long but we all know the latest one)

Sad news if Strauss does stand down but even sadder if Cook takes over!

Its pathetic isn't it psw? Living in a country and taking every opportunity to slate it. Hard to understand why some people are so bitter.

Also notice said individual starts the same illiterate thread on here nearly every day. The cricket section is the best part of 606v2 and better without idiots like that.

I think the person in question is Piers Morgan VTR, his ramblings on twitter resemble many threads on here.

I wouldn't pay any attention to Piers when it comes to sport. He was on Wenger's back years ago.

He was on Wengers back last week

Apparently Strauss isn't going to be at the press conference according to SSN this morning which if he is resigning is very dissapointing.

hampo171 wrote:I think the person in question is Piers Morgan VTR, his ramblings on twitter resemble many threads on here.

But how does the character limit.............work............with................all.......................of.............these.........???!

hampo171 wrote:

Apparently Strauss isn't going to be at the press conference according to SSN this morning which if he is resigning is very dissapointing.

But Cook is there apparently ....

This is probably the press conference that will announce Cook as the new Test Captain.

It's been confirmed that Andrew Strauss has retired from all forms of Cricket. You had a great career Strauss, treble-Ashes Winner and you took England to the top as Captain. We'll miss you.

Is this true Duty?

eirebilly wrote:Is this true Duty?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/19408311

Indeed it is.

Kind of saddened about this as he has been a great for English cricket.

Duty281 wrote:It's been confirmed that Andrew Strauss has retired from all forms of Cricket. You had a great career Strauss, treble-Ashes Winner and you took England to the top as Captain. We'll miss you.

Second that. He's not been in very good form lately but will be remembered for those Ashes wins in particular and taking England to number one in the world.

Seems strange though that Strauss won't be present to announce in person that he is stepping down. I suspect that there is a bit more to this than simply a resignation.

edit- ignore the comment, seems he was present after all.

As odd as this may sound but i am also really happy for Cook.

I would love it if he got an IPL contract

LivinginItaly wrote:Seems strange though that Strauss won't be present to announce in person that he is stepping down. I suspect that there is a bit more to this than simply a resignation.

straussy is sat at the conference. He has been a good captain. Sad to see him go like this. Only increases my dislike of the egotist that is Kevin Pietersen

PS

He has retired from professional cricket.

Do you think maybe he has fallen on his sword as he sees this as being the easiest way to try and bring kp back into the fold? Sacrifice for the greater good.

Strauss gone.

His "Karma" catches up with him.

I think he jumped when he got the message that he would be pushed otherwise.

Goes out on a low note as a batsman.....as a captain and as a leader.
Since the win against India....he had little to show against his name.......except 1 win at home against lowly WI.

His biggest failure as a leader...to identify early enouhg a crumbling dressing room....to assert himself as a leader....show visible leadership.....hold the stiuation by the scruff of the neck...and solve it.
Instead the situation engulfed him and he himself crumbled.

Once upon a time a good batsman, a nice man, a "yes-man" to Flower as a captain.....is how he will be remembered.

Flower is next in the line to go.....

Feel for Strauss, I wonder if the whole KP thing has something to do with this.

LondonTiger wrote:

LivinginItaly wrote:Seems strange though that Strauss won't be present to announce in person that he is stepping down. I suspect that there is a bit more to this than simply a resignation.

straussy is sat at the conference. He has been a good captain. Sad to see him go like this. Only increases my dislike of the egotist that is Kevin Pietersen

So Pietersen is the reason he's only averaged 31 in the last 2 years? He's been a great captain ans a good player, but he's no longer good enough to retain his place in the side.

LivinginItaly wrote:Do you think maybe he has fallen on his sword as he sees this as being the easiest way to try and bring kp back into the fold? Sacrifice for the greater good.

If he has, then its an incredibly good thing to do. Only a true leader would do something like that.

KP_fan wrote:
Once upon a time a good batsman, a nice man, a "yes-man" to Flower as a captain.....is how he will be remembered.

Absolute........cr@p................as................usual.........................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..............

LivinginItaly wrote:Do you think maybe he has fallen on his sword as he sees this as being the easiest way to try and bring kp back into the fold? Sacrifice for the greater good.

I wouldn't say so. He has given up the game altogether. That seems like a bit much if it is an act of self-sacrifice as he could have played CC for another 3/4 years at least.

KP_fan wrote:Strauss gone.

His "Karma" catches up with him.

I think he jumped when he got the message that he would be pushed otherwise.

Goes out on a low note as a batsman.....as a captain and as a leader.
Since the win against India....he had little to show against his name.......except 1 win at home against lowly WI.

His biggest failure as a leader...to identify early enouhg a crumbling dressing room....to assert himself as a leader....show visible leadership.....hold the stiuation by the scruff of the neck...and solve it.
Instead the situation engulfed him and he himself crumbled.

Once upon a time a good batsman, a nice man, a "yes-man" to Flower as a captain.....is how he will be remembered.

Flower is next in the line to go.....

Rubbish. He'll be remembered as a treble-Ashes winner, the Captain who led England to an unbeaten run in Test Series for 3 years and as the England Captain who took England to the top.

Strauss says his decision to retire had nothing to do with the KP issue.

and I hate to say...."I told ya"...at the end of T3...10 days back....that Strauss's career is over.

here
https://www.606v2.com/t33877-england-loses-no1inspite-of-a-happy-dressing-room