Captain Required - no experience necessary

The one game I remember most fondly from my childhood was called "guess who'll be the next England Captain". This reached its zenith during the 1988 home series against the West Indies, when the selectors sacked Gatting for "irresponsibility", but couldn't settle on a replacement. Four different captains were tried for the five match series, which England duly lost 5-0.

The old games are always the best as they make you feel like a child again. So far the selectors have been opting for short-term solutions to the captaincy problem, in the belief that Vaughan's return was imminent. The truth is he has probably played his last test match.

Clearly the solution is to appoint a captain for the long-term. The question is who? Flintoff is also injured, Trescothick has a tendenancy to get ill if he even thinks about the captaincy and Strauss has just managed to captain the one-day team to a 4-0 scoreline against the Sri-Lankans. Whoever does get the job should be allowed to settle into the role and not be made a scape goat for poor team performances by a depleated side. For that reason I'd opt for Strauss.

I can see the headlines now: England waltz to Strauss' tune.