Ashes Skipper

[adamberry]

I agree with everyone else - Strauss. Flintoff would have too much to do, with bat and ball responsibilities, while Strauss has less to worry about. And I like watching Panesar bowl.

OF - I wouldn't let Vaughan take back the captaincy after this length of time anyway. He has little/no influence on the newer players - Monty et al.

[greg]

I take it the person who voted for Freddie was Ern.

[flanflinger]

I thought that would be the case - but no he hasn't voted yet..

http://www.world-a-team.com/poll.php...lts&pollid=488

[Moss]

Strauss, without a doubt. He's already improved immeasurably in this series, and his own form has stayed solid.
Freddie made a few dubious decisions and - although we drew in India - has shown nothing that convinces me of his skill at captaincy.
The way Strauss handled Monty was good, who was previously underbowled by Flintoff.

Crucially, we need Freddie to be firing on all batting and bowling cylinders, not worrying about other things.
Like Warne, he'll bring his own opinions to cricket despite not being captain.

[TopperHarley]

I dont think either man is a dynamic captain.

Strauss seems to captain by committee. Flintoff without engaging his frontal lobes.

Both lack the imagination and ability to build pressure and motivate the team that Hussain (hugely under-rated) and Vaughan had.

Purely because of freddie's workload, trescothicks lack of personailty and the only other candidate (colly) is not an established meber, it has to be strauss by default.

Captain by default. what an honour.

[Whips_off_the_bails]

Now you are being unnecessarily pessimistic, TopperHarley! (Unlike on the ODI thread, where your gloomy prognosis is only too realistic.) Cheer up, for gawd's sake! We've just won a series! Strauss's captaincy in the last two games (the only two in which Strauss was told "You are the captain" rather than "Would you mind doing a spot of temping? Our usual temp is away and we still don't know when the regular bloke will be back in the office") was widely praised. Captain by committee? Vaughan encouraged all his players to think on the field and to give their views, and Strauss is merely continuing this tradition. Hussain had another way of doing things -- sticking a rocket up the backside of players who aren't putting their weight and metaphorically wearing the "I'm in Charge" T-shirt that Gower wore for real as a joke when the media accused him of not being a dynamic enough captain. But Hussain's way is not the only way.

If you look around you, you'll see the glass is half full, not half empty. Look at Pakistan's passive and lumbering captain -- he can't even motivate his fielders by example, unlike Strauss. Look at Punter -- leads by example with the bat and in the field, obviously, but totally at sea if things aren't going to plan and the opponent refuses to roll over. Ditto Graeme Smith. The only current captains who make Strauss look like the novice he is are Stephen Fleming and, to some extent, Rahul Dravid. Give Straussy time to grow into the job and I'm sure he'll do fine.

[Victor Frankenstein]

I haven't been overly impressed with Strauss as a captain so far, not that he has done anything wrong as such more that he just seems ordinary.

However, I said the same thing about Vaughan when he started off as captain and he turned into one of the best around with his imaginative field placings etc.. Vaughan's biggest failing imo was rotation of bowlers, which Strauss has so far managed really well imo, give him time to develop some better plans with big Dunc and he could be as good as Vaughan for all we know, plus he leads by example in the field and with the bat, something Vaughan never did.

I don't think either Flintoff or Strauss are as good a captain as Vaughan is at the moment, and i don't want Flintoff as captain unless we unearth another world class strike bowler so he doesn't have to bowl any more, he just can't take all that punishment. Better to have Strauss as captain and Flintoff as vice-cap.

Failing that, i say we make Monty the captain

[rico7]

Regardless of what happens at the Oval, it must be Strauss!

[Speedboy Salesman]

I hope Strauss will, but I have this terrible feeling that England will slot Flintoff as the captain. Panesar as captain would be genius

[joker-mark]

i hope strauss gets they captincy he has done so well since freddie got injured