Sky Cricket Podcast: Andrew Strauss on England, World Test Championship, World One-Day League
'We can't love Test cricket to death - every match must have context'
Monday 29 May 2017 18:02, UK
ECB director of cricket Andrew Strauss says introducing four-day Test cricket will help keep the format relevant "in an era where the white ball is taking over the world".
Former captain Strauss discussed England's future in all formats during a wide-ranging Sky Sports interview, which you can hear in full by clicking on the link here.
Speaking ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, which begins on Thursday, Strauss assessed England's chances of a silverware summer, analysed the current Test side and gave his view on how players have benefitted from participating in the Indian Premier League - and the ECB's view on future player participation.
In addition, the former Sky Sports commentator spoke about his role in selection issues and what Jonny Bairstow has to do to force his way into the current England XI.
For all this and more simply download the latest version of the Sky Sports podcast - or read on for his response to some of our key questions.
How are England stacking up ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy?
Strauss: "I think we are up there with the other better teams in the world. It's almost pointless ranking who is the best because we can beat any team on our day and we've seen that quite consistently over the last 18 months or so.
"I don't think we are the finished product as we saw today a little bit; by and large our batting has been really strong and our bowling needs a bit of work still, but we head into this Champions Trophy full of confidence.
"You only get that confidence by winning often and by winning important matches and important series and we've done that and we have the advantage home conditions as well, so it's an exciting team but the Champions Trophy as it is means you've got to win every game and any team is capable of beating any other team."
Does the ECB regret allowing Ben Stokes to play in the IPL given his current knee problems?
Strauss: "You can't wrap people in cotton wool all the time - we made a judgement call. We knew there was a bit of a risk that might happen.
"I think Stokes has come back as a far better player and he'll repay us for that; I'm certain he's going to have some fantastic cricket ahead of him over the next 12 months.
"We've just got to make sure that he manages himself as much as anything. He's notorious for training really hard and that's the sort of thing that over time he'll have to think about."
Is the current Test side less settled than the ODI side?
Strauss: "There are more players who are right at the start of their career who want to make a name for themselves and establish themselves.
"That clock is ticking to the first Test against Australia. A couple of the batsmen really need to put in some significant performances over the summer.
"But I'm really excited about Joe Root taking over. I think teams end up playing in the image of the captain; if that's the case, then we are in for a really exciting time because of the way he plays - he'll look to be aggressive and he'll look to attack."
Would you like to see four-day Tests introduced?
Strauss: "I'm pushing context very hard in all formats. I really believe that every game of international cricket should have some sort of meaning and some sort of context to it - so the World Test Championship, the World One-Day League are all really, really important opportunities to the game.
"We are not quite there yet but we are making some progress. I wouldn't rule out the idea of four-day Test cricket, if we can get the playing conditions right and the right circumstances it might be a good thing in some parts of the world.
"I'm not saying it will necessarily happen in this country but one thing we can't do is love Test cricket to death. We have to think about how that format remains relevant in an era where the white ball is taking over the world."
Watch England take on Bangladesh in the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy - live on Sky Sports 2 from 10am this Thursday.
