Strauss quits to care for his wife
STRAUSS: Stepping down ANDREW STRAUSS has stepped down from his position as Director of England Cricket in order to spend more time caring for his wife and family.
The former England captain, 41, has been on compassionate leave for the last four months as wife Ruth battles cancer.
But he announced yesterday he was taking the “difficult decision” to quit after considering “what’s right for England and what’s needed at home”.
England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan credited Strauss with the turnaround in white-ball fortunes from May 2015, which has seen the side rise to No1 in the world rankings.
Both Morgan and coach Trevor Bayliss suggested a World Cup win next summer would be a fitting tribute.
Morgan said: “It’s easily brushed over but, going back to the summer of 2015, the direction given by him to myself and Paul Farbrace [interim coach at the time] and all the selectors was to build something to prepare for the 2019 World Cup. He has been instrumental in our forward thinking and planning to the position we are in.”
Bayliss said: “He would probably be embarrassed if we came out and said, ‘The boys want to do it for him’. We all understand the reasons he’s had to step away and appreciate the struggles his family has in front of him. But he has done a fantastic job.”
Strauss, whose role has been covered by Andy Flower since May, will stay on to support “other ECB projects”.
But he stressed it was important a permanent successor was put in place ahead of a “crucial summer” in 2019.
Strauss said: “Next year is potentially the most important the game has had in this country, with the World Cup and a home Ashes series, and we have an incredible opportunity to do something special.” SAM SIMMONDS’ World Cup hopes have been dealt a crushing blow after he was ruled out for up to nine months by a knee injury. The Exeter back row, who scored twice in England’s Six Nations win over Italy last season, will miss the rest of the international season after scans revealed ligament damage from a tackle incident against Worcester on Saturday. “If the operation and rehab goes really well, we’d hope that we can maybe see him before the end of the season but it’s going to SIMMONDS: Knee injury be touch and go,” said Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter.
“Obviously Sam is upset. He was looking forward to having a big season – and he had already started it well. He has been a key player for us.
“But the flip-side is that he can’t get injured twice. There will be a lot of other guys who have been playing every week, through the autumn and the Six Nations, and two or three of them might go down yet. Sam will be in cotton wool.
“It may well be that if he shows real form at the end of the season, he could go to the World Cup.” Exeter have also lost lock Jonny Hill, who toured with England to South Africa in June, for up to four months with a finger ligament injury.
Leicester captain Tom Youngs has backed former England front-row colleague Joe Marler’s decision to walk away from the national set-up a year out from the World Cup to spend more time with his family.
“Fair play to him for standing up and saying he can’t do it as it shows the sign of a very tough man. You can’t see it as weakness as he understands his emotions and feelings,” said Youngs.
“There is a lot of pressure leaving your family and going away for a long time. If it means he leads a healthier life, that’s the most important thing.”