• England news

Vaughan warns Strauss his Test place is under threat

ESPN staff
June 23, 2011
Andrew Strauss has struggled with the bat so far this summer © Getty Images
Enlarge

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan fears current captain Andrew Strauss' place in the Test side could come under serious threat if Alastair Cook leads successfully in the one-day arena.

Strauss has returned to the county scene in a bid to regain his form, while Cook has been preparing with the rest of the ODI squad for the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka.

Last month Cook replaced Strauss as England's ODI captain, while Stuart Broad took the reins from Paul Collingwood in Twenty20s.

With Strauss currently struggling to score runs and Cook in the form of his life, Vaughan is of the belief that his heir may start to feel the pressure if Cook can transfer his incredible form to the limited overs format.

Vaughan, who began as one-day leader under Nasser Hussain in 2003 before taking on the Test job later that summer, told the Sun: "A lot was made of Nasser and myself when we split the captaincy. I had a completely different approach and it stood out.

"The dressing room started to like it and he didn't feel comfortable when I came back for the Tests. That's a personal decision. I had no problem. Some people said it didn't work when I was Test captain and Paul Collingwood took over the one-day side either.

"But that's because of my knee injury and I wasn't scoring enough runs. It can become a problem if this current England one-day side do well in the next few weeks, Cook scores a lot of runs and Strauss doesn't get so many in the Tests.

"If they are successful and Strauss scores well in the Tests, it's not a problem at all."

All eyes will be on Broad on Saturday, when the seamer will lead the T20 outfit against Sri Lanka at Bristol - should he manage to overcome a bruised heel.

Many have questioned whether Broad has the temperament to cope in the heat of battle, but Vaughan hopes the 24-year-old maintains his competitive edge.

He said: "You've got to be yourself when you take the captaincy - if you don't you get found out pretty quickly. Over a period of time you can adapt, but from the off you have to do what comes naturally.

"Nasser Hussain was a grumpy old bugger but he did alright! Stuart will have to be wary of his conduct, but it's not a massive issue. I like his competitive nature - he's very un-English in that respect. I find it staggering some people complain about it. We need a few more people like Broad."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close