Dunk's Daily Blog

The fourth Npower Test Match between England and Pakistan gets underway at the Oval today, England leading the series 2-0. With stand-in skipper Andrew Strauss very much in charge, the debate over who should lead the side to Australia this winter is hotting up.

Earlier this year, the ECB got themselves into a bit of a lather by declaring an injured Michael Vaughan as their captain, with Andrew Flintoff nominated first choice stand-in. Sod's law provided that the stand-in was soon stood-out with an ankle injury of his own.

Strauss is that rare thing in modern international cricket - a test captain who's earned his stripes as a leader in the domestic game. 'Levi' came into Test cricket at the age of 27 (pretty old by modern standards), having already captained his county for two seasons. Following a tough baptism in the one-day format against Sri Lanka (an area in which the whole side has performed woefully for years), Strauss quickly settled into captaining in the proper format (as we English call it). His handling of Panesar in particular has been a major factor in the series to date, giving the left armer every opportunity to contribute on every surface.

Strauss the batsman seems in no way shackled by responsibility - quite the reverse in fact. His current form has been influential in its own right, picking up from a patchy tour of the sub-continent. History could have helped us predict this: 1400 first class runs during his first season in charge at Middlesex tells its own story.

For what it's worth, add to this what a nice bloke he is. I know Allan Border didn't consider this a quality, but it didn't stop David Gower trouncing him in 1985. After the win at Headingley last week, My friend and I saw him talking with the media. Being slightly the worse for some celebratory beers, we let out an undignified scream of "Straussy!" at high decibel. To our utter delight, the target turned to acknowledge us with a big smiley wave: An Old Etonian with the common touch.

Now I'm not for one minute suggesting that waving at drunkards makes for an England captain, but I am saying that Strauss is looking, acting and living the part. Of course it must help to inherit a side of talented winners; history isn't quite so kind to the likes of Atherton and Gooch - both great players with vast knowledge of the game but without the success to back it up.

Fred Flintoff would insist he'd thrive on the pressure of leading an Ashes tour. Maybe so, but I'm not sure the risks warrant the appointment. His runs and wickets HAVE to come first if England are to stand any chance against the old enemy. Something would surely have to give with further workload - don't forget to add injury rehab to his list. This is not a new debate, England have been here before with Stewart (keeping & opening) and Botham, who was replaced by another Middlesex opening batsman as skipper!

Far be it from me to suggest that Flintoff's captaincy credentials be totally dismissed. The inspirational Lancastrian has undoubted qualities to lead. On the Skysports website, Michael Atherton suggests the all-rounder would make an excellent future captain at a time when he is unable to contribute so much with the ball. This sounds a sensible notion given the physical strains of international cricket and the obvious talent for leadership he's already shown in India.