England test captain Andrew strauss quits inernational cricket
London: England Test skipper Andrew Strauss announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Wednesday.
His decision came after the English team lost the home series against South Africa by 0-2. The loss also helped South Africa oust England as the number one Test side in the World.
Alastair Cook will now lead the Test and ODI teams in Strauss’ absence.
“After much thought over the last few weeks, I have decided to step down as England Test captain and announce my retirement from all forms of cricket,” Strauss said to a cricket website after his retirement. “It has clearly been a tough decision to make, but I believe that it is both in the best interests of the England cricket team and myself to step down at this stage.”
“No one can play international cricket for any length of time without having an incredibly strong support network around them, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family for going through it all alongside me over the course of my England career.”
“I am extremely proud of everything I have achieved as a cricketer, and I have found myself very fortunate to play in an era when some of English cricket’s greatest moments have occurred. I have loved every minute of it. All that remains is for me to wish Andy, Alastair and the rest of the team the very best for the coming months. I will be an interested spectator.”
Under Strauss, England had slumped to a humiliating 0-2 defeat at the hands of South Africa. He also struggled to score runs in the series with his best score being 37 in three Tests.
Strauss, who played 100th Test for England at Lord’s recently, made his international debut against New Zealand in 2004.
He led the side in 50 matches. He scored 7037 runs in Test cricket and 4202 in 124 ODIs. His international career lasted 10 years, during which he scored 21 Test centuries and six ODI hundreds.
