Blessing in disguise for English cricket?

The two Andrews for the time being together--both men who have more brains and more guts than some of their counterparts who have had natural flairs but quite a serious lack of grit for fight. Andrew Flower and Andrew Strauss!

What a combination it already feels. Strauss would probably have been always the first choice skipper, had not the English selectors continued with their mystifying ways of selecting bits-and-pieces players ahead of him. They too often forget a good Test batsman is a good batsman anywhere. It's interesting what kind of bonding the two Andys develop, especially if they continue on with their roles after the WI tour: since both have been mentally strong players, both have been very strong square of the wicket, and how do young spinners like Adil Rashid come up with this set-up. Next year's Ashes seems to be another humdinger, especially with it being set in England, with the Aussies not at all what they were but not yet the team easily beaten, and with the English lions starting to roar: Pietersen might want to now look at the game a little more unselfishly and hence more soberly and thinking of the team at least at some time and with a little less arrogance; Flintoff's golden autumn should be ending on a high note barring injury; and Stuart Broad and Adil Rashid should give some real all-rounders to follow in the footsteps of Freddie for the time to come. Captaincy would bring the best of Strauss to fore, I think, in terms of batting: he already would be a very shrewd captain.

The only thing left to do: even though Matt Prior is going strong, England should look towards the future now, and blood James Foster. Flower should increase his weightage, and look to get in his former Essex mate in; the courage young Foster showed on a tough India tour under Nasser Hussain was something which foretold a lot about him.