Andrew Strauss temporarily steps down as England cricket director and is replaced by Andy Flower
Strauss impressed by new national selector Ed Smith's first Test squad: "I like the statement it makes - Root up to No 3, Bairstow up to No 5 and Jos coming in as a point-of-difference player."
Wednesday 23 May 2018 17:23, UK
Andrew Strauss has temporarily stepped down from his role as the ECB's director of England cricket due to his wife's battle with cancer.
The former England batsman will be replaced by ex-England coach Andy Flower over the summer, as the team contests Test series against Pakistan and India, and a white-ball series against Australia.
Strauss told Sky Sports: "We have some unique personal circumstances at the moment. My wife got diagnosed with cancer in December.
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"She's about to start a new treatment shortly, which is going to be challenging for her, and I need to be on hand to help her and the family through that.
"So it's with a heavy heart that I'm taking a back step while this treatment is going on over the course of the summer.
"My boots will be very adequately filled by Andy Flower. We all know his experience in and around the England team. He will be looking after my day-to-day responsibilities.
"Then some of the bigger projects, various people in the department that will be given responsibility for those. It's unfortunate that I have to do it but my focus needs to be with my family right now."
Strauss recently oversaw the appointment of Ed Smith as England's new national selector and is impressed by the former Kent batsman's squad for the first Test against Pakistan, which starts at Lord's on Thursday.
Captain Joe Root will bat at No 3, with Jonny Bairstow moving up to No 5 and Jos Buttler - back in England's Test side for the first time since December 2016 - slotting in at No 7.
"I like the statement it makes that Root is up to No 3, Bairstow is up to No 5 and Jos is coming in as a point-of-difference player and really putting other teams under pressure," added Strauss.
"What an opposition captain doesn't want is an Adam Gilchrist-type player coming in and taking the game away from you.
"Jos is entirely capable of doing that. He is one of the best players in the world and just needs to transfer that to the Test game."
