Strauss steps aside for wife’s care
ANDREW STRAUSS will take a summer sabbatical from his position as England’s director of cricket to concentrate on caring for his wife, Ruth, who was diagnosed with cancer last year. Strauss will be replaced by former coach Andy Flower, who led England to No 1 in the world Test rankings in 2011 with Strauss as his captain. The Zimbabwean has been in charge of the Lions since being sacked following England’s 201314 Ashes whitewash in Australia.
But ahead of the first Test against Pakistan starting tomorrow, Flower will now be coach Trevor Bayliss’s boss while Strauss takes time out.
“My wife was diagnosed with cancer in December,” said Strauss. “We are very lucky she has been very well up to now, although she is starting a new treatment on Friday which is going to be more challenging for her, and as such I am going to be stepping back from my day-to-day duties while that treatment is going on.
“On a day-to-day basis Andy Flower is going to be stepping in for me over the course of the
summer. We all know about his qualities and his experience of English cricket, and he will fill my shoes very adequately. I look forward to returning and grabbing the reins again, but at this period of time my focus has to be on supporting Ruth and my family.” Strauss, who was in good spirits as he revealed the elevation of Flower, right, confirmed England’s players would still be subject to the midnight curfew that was introduced in Australia last winter following a series of high-profile off-field incidents. “The players are comfortable with it,” said Strauss. “We’ve learnt a lot of lessons over the winter and we’ve sharpened up how we deal with things. Players are a bit more aware of what’s expected of them on England duty.”