I only half understand Andrew Strauss' decision.

Andrew Strauss: a captain we can all be proud of (2009-2012)

His decision to stand down as England captain today was not a surprise, especially to those close to cricket.  Strauss won his 100th Cap a fortnight ago in the final game of the series defeat to South Africa, to whom England lost their number 1 ranking. With Alastair Cook having been groomed for the role of captain, Strauss' poor form with the bat and England needing fresh impetus if they are to regain their number 1 ranking, now is the perfect time for him to step down as captain. 

People will naturally speculate as to whether Kevin Pietersen's public fall out with Strauss had anything to do with the decision. I'm not privy to the chatter of the England dressing room but I believe Strauss when he said that the KP issue had nothing really to do with his decision. The departure of Strauss does seemingly make the much needed return of Pietersen more likely. Hopefully Cook, Flower and KP can move on from the ugly mess which KP created and rebuild the harmonious dressing room which was a cornerstone of Strauss' captaincy.

I think you'd be hard pushed to find an England cricket fan with a bad word to say about Andrew Strauss. Strauss always conducted himself in a professional and dignified manner both on and off the field. He has always been level-headed, calm, articulate and is a credit to the game of cricket. Much like Michael Vaughan who lead the side with distinction in collaboration with Duncan Fletcher, Strauss formed an effective partnership with team manager Andy Flower. There are 4 other similarities between the two 1) they both left the job with the team in a better state than they inherited 2) their lack of batting form hastened their departure 3) Their last tests were both against Graeme Smith's South Africa and 4) They are both the kind of people who have extremely bright futures upon retirement.

Strauss' career Highlights

2004 Scored a century on his debut at Lords

2005 Was part of England's Ashes winning side

2009 Appointed Captain for England's tour of West Indies

2009 Captained England to Ashes win

2011 Captained England to Ashes win in Australia

2011 Captained England to number 1 test ranking with series win against India

2012 Retires after playing 100th Test

England's Ashes win in Australia, Strauss' finest hour.

Half his decision

I agree with Strauss that it is the appropriate time to hand over the captaincy to Alastair Cook. It is the perfect time and he has earned the right to go out on his own terms. What I struggle with, and this may be because I am not a professional sportsman, is his decision to retire from cricket. 

You have to love cricket in order to become England Captain but if you love cricket why would you want to stop playing? It could be argued that he has other things to do, or that he might want to spend more time with his family but surely nothing beats playing the game you love. Its not like he couldn't be a top performer at county level or in the IPL, why not spend some time enjoying cricket without the weight of the England captaincy? Its not like he is a fast bowler with masses amounts of wear and tear on his body. He is only 35, which is not at all old for a batsman.

I hope that Straussy doesn't ever regret his decision to retire from cricket. As i've said, he'll have plenty of attractive career opportunities ahead of him and i'm sure he'll do well. I disagree with his decision but with all he's done he's earned the right to make it and I wish him all the best.