Monty Panesar insists England's squad are not divided following Kevin Pietersen's departure as captain.
Spinner supports appointment of "steady figure" Strauss as skipper
Monty Panesar insists there are no rifts in the England dressing room following Kevin Pietersen's departure as captain.
Pietersen stood down from the role following a very public fall-out with coach Peter Moores, who was subsequently sacked.
Andrew Strauss has now taken over ahead of the upcoming tour to the West Indies, which can be seen
live on Sky Sports.
The dramatic changes came after Pietersen lobbied for Moores' removal, only to then fall on his sword following an apparent lack of support from some of his team-mates.
Friends
"We have a group of friends, but when the 11 players get out on the field we all play together and win games for England," Panesar told
Sky Sports News.
"In terms of cliques, that was not the case."
Panesar believes that a "steady figure" like Strauss is the perfect choice to take England forward following a turbulent period.
The Middlesex left-hander led England to a series win over Pakistan in 2006 but was not kept on in the role for the Ashes series Down Under.
"He (Strauss) is very much that steady figure, a logical thinker," the Northamptonshire spinner added.
"That definitely helps when it comes to thinking precisely and having measured approaches."
Coaching skills
While England have a new leader on the field the search is still on to find a permanent replacement for Moores.
Andy Flower will take charge in the Caribbean with the England and Wales Cricket Board looking to make an appointment ahead of a busy summer.
When asked about what skills the new coach would need to help develop his career, Panesar felt he was still inexperienced at the top level to answer.
"That is still a learning place for me," he said. "I am relatively new; I've only been two or three years in international cricket.
"I need more experience to understand what the right coach is and what the right thing is for me."
