Should Strauss Have Been Selected?

England's recent success has been aided by a ruthless selection policy; while in the past players such as Gooch, Atherton and Stewart could choose when they retired, Thorpe and Hussain were afforded no such luxury and saw their positions usurped by younger talent. The needs of the team, outweigh the sensibilities of the individual.

In these harsher, more practical times, the selection of Andrew Strauss needs to be considered purely in the light of what's best for the team. Robin Smith is another batsman whose form deserted him when his wife was expecting and it must be very difficult to go on tour in those circumstances. Everybody knows that predicting a baby’s delivery date is not an exact science and I know from personal experience that the closer the date becomes, the harder it is for an expectant father to focus on his work, whatever that may be.

In my view it would have been better for Andrew Strauss, his family and the England team if he’d been where any man should be in his circumstances, by his wife’s side.