Disastrous Ashes tours usually end in the demise of an England captain. Andrew Strauss, of course, shrugs off such a hypothetical suggestion. He seems capable of shrugging off just about anything. He comes over as the most phlegmatic England captain in living memory, writes Vic Marks in the Observer.

"One of the things that is fundamental to my captaincy and that I have talked a lot about is player responsibility and not encouraging them but making them make decisions for themselves. Vaughan did that and so did Duncan Fletcher. When the England team were playing well under him the environment was the best I have experienced in any cricket." So Strauss recognises that it is crucial to recapture the mood of 2005. "There's no doubt that if you want to play well against Australia you have got to take them on and be prepared to scrap. Anybody who goes in there and just thinks 'Oh no, we'll just stick to our own game' is going to come unstuck. Our players are absolutely certain that they will go out there and go blow for blow.

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