Andrew Strauss: Five immediate tasks

By Liam Apicella, Features Editor | 11 May 2015

Sports Mole picks out five situations that England's new director of cricket Andrew Strauss needs to address quickly.

Tomorrow, Andrew Strauss will address the media for the first time since his recent appointment as the director of England cricket.

It's a new role created by the ECB, which requires the former captain to oversee England's performance and the selection of players.

At what is an uncertain time for English cricket ahead of an Ashes summer, it promises to be a busy opening few weeks for the 38-year-old and here, Sports Mole has picked out five major situations that are in need of urgent attention.

New coach

Coach Jason Gillespie of Yorkshire Carmegie attends a training session during the Champions League Twenty20, at Claremont Cricket Club on October 15, 2012 © Getty Images

It has already been confirmed that Paul Farbrace will take over the coaching duties for the upcoming New Zealand Tests, but after that and with the small matter of The Ashes on the horizon, the situation is lacking clarity.

Aussie Jason Gillespie, who last year guided Yorkshire to a first County Championship title since 2001, is the man that has been heavily linked with the role and it would be a popular choice as far as Ian Botham is concerned.

Writing in The Mirror, the all-rounder said: "The shake up that the England cricket team has long needed is under way and the selection of Jason Gillespie as coach would be a perfect fit. I have got a lot of time for Jason and he is the outstanding candidate for the job. I think we would be lucky to have him coach and manage our players."

Captain Cook

England captain Alastair Cook leaves the crease after being bowled by Mohammed Shami for 5 runs during day two of the 1st Investec Test Match between England and India at Trent Bridge on July 10, 2014 © Getty Images

Staying with Botham, he believes that the time is right for Alastair Cook to step aside: "It is time for Alastair Cook to move aside and take some of the responsibility for the mistakes that have been made over the last 18 months," he wrote.

"He has seen off almost all the coaches and management from the debacle Down Under [in 2013], he has seen Paul Downton (former director) come and go and now Peter Moores, yet he is still captain. How does that work?"

Joe Root is his choice to replace Cook, but the current thinking is that Strauss will give his former opening partner the chance to prove that he is the right man to take England forward. He scored some much needed runs in the Caribbean, so his confidence should be higher.

KP return

Kevin Pietersen of England kisses the urn after England won the Ashes during day five of the 5th Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at the Kia Oval on August 25, 2013 © Getty Images

Whether Strauss likes it or not, the question that centres around a return to the international fold for Kevin Pietersen will not go away until he addresses it one way or the other.

On a personal level, the pair are known to have an extremely strained relationship that dates back to 'textgate', while last year Strauss, who believed that he was off air, was heard branding Pietersen a four-lettered expletive from the Lord's commentary box.

Michael Vaughan recently hinted that the reason he ended his pursuit of the role centred around the ECB's reluctance to recall the maverick batsman: "The ECB still seems to be a little bit reluctant to bring him back and I feel that the Pietersen issue is going to be a talking point through the summer," he wrote in The Telegraph.

Test cricket risks

Nottinghamshire's Alex Hales bats against Glamorgan on September 21, 2013 © Getty Images

With the greatest of respect, Cook, Jonathan Trott and Gary Ballance as an opening batting trio hardly gets the pulses racing. Of course, Trott's retirement has opened up a spot at the top of the order, but who replaces him?

Understandably, the clamour for Alex Hales is growing, particularly after his start to the new County Championship season in the middle for Nottinghamshire.

The bowling unit is also in desperate need of pace and while alternative options may be few and far between, the likes of Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett are candidates, while Adil Rashid, who was strangely overlooked in the West Indies, offers a spin option that is currently absent.

Limited overs revolution

England's bowler Ben Stokes celebrates with teammates Jafter dismissing Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell during the fourth one day international cricket match of the series between Australia and England in Perth on January 24, 2014 © Getty Images

Talking about one-day international cricket after the Cricket World Cup, Vaughan said: "It is a different brand, a different mindset required. I reckon in the last six months, there has been this massive step. England has seen the step but ignored it, almost pretended that it has not been there."

At that tournament, Hales was selected, but barely featured, while Ben Stokes - a player with match-winning ability - was not even in the squad.

It may not be a popular decision in the corridors of the ECB, but allowing players to turn out in the Indian Premier League would be beneficial, particularly for the bowlers, who need to be exposed to the likes of MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers on a more regular basis. For too long, English cricket has been reactive instead of proactive, especially in the limited overs format of the game.