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- Karthik Narayan

Lord’s has always been the happy hunting ground for many famed cricketers of various eras. Mohammed Azharuddin, Dilip Vengsarkar have all favoured the Lord’s Cricket Ground for more of their most cherished dreams and desires coming true. A new British star has been joining that elite group of Lovers of the Home of Cricket - Andrew John Strauss. Born in Transvaal, Johannesburg, and yet playing for Middlesex in the English county (he studied at Radley College and Durham University), a young man lit the eyes of everyone who watched him play with scintillating knocks in the seasons of 2002-03 and ever since always knocked on the doors of the England team time and again.

There haven’t been too many Cricketers from Middlesex who have played for England and made an impact. Andrew John Strauss is one of those few who have created more than an impact. He made a lot of runs for Middlesex and caught the eyes of the selectors in mid 2003. If there is anyone who has etched his name in the English Cricket team in 2004, it shall be this 27-year-old left handed batsman from Middlesex.

The end of a saga breeds a new one – Strauss made his test debut in the First Test against New Zealand at Lord’s in May 2004, the same test christened as Nasser Hussain’s last! After Stephen Fleming won the toss and elected to bat, Strauss came right into the picture when he caught the New Zealand Skipper himself to draw first blood for England. After New Zealand were all out for 386, Andrew Strauss walked in with his captain and fellow opening batsman, Marcus Trescothick to face a rather weakened Kiwi bowling attack. Patience as they say does pay rich dividends! After shrugging off the initial nervousness, Strauss held fort and started slowly playing his shots. After his partner got to his fifty, this debutant also made his first test fifty after playing 90 balls and five good shots to the boundary. Getting to a ton on debut at Lord’s is something special for any debutant, and that moment was destined to come in the fag end of day two of this test. His innings finally ended at 112, with 8 more boundaries, when he was caught by Richardson off Vettori. But it was an innings with vitality as well as strokeplay of the richest order, something one wouldn’t have imagined from the blade of a debutant. He batted as though he were a veteran of many a test match.

If scoring a century on debut is special, what word would you use for a batsman who scores another in the second innings of the same Test? Spectacular… but unfortunately, Strauss missed that. Ironically Nasser Hussain was the culprit, running him out stranded on 83. Sad to hear, but the announcement had been made that Strauss was here to stay! England won the test; Strauss was declared man of the match without any doubt.

More recently, his great century against South Africa in his first test on foreign soil proves his mettle to play on foreign soil. In fact, Strauss is one of the rare Englishmen to score a century in both test debuts and home and away. He is also one of the few Englishman or even the player in International cricket to score his first century in both tests and ODIs at the same ground – Lord’s. That ground, the home of cricket has been so good for this elegant left-hander. His maiden ODI century came against the West Indians, at a time when the Englishmen were tottering at a hapless 54/3 and Strauss joined Flintoff to flay the West Indian bowlers. He scored exactly a 100 in that match, but the way he paced his innings proved that he could perform even during the pressure situations.

This classy left-handed batsman is not your average quick scorer – not in the Aussie mould. He plays to his strength, which is to attack and put away the bad ball, while leaving the good ones outside the off stump. He is strong square on both sides of the wicket, particularly good with the cut and pull. And in case the bowler errs in length and gives away a “gift” like an over pitched delivery, he drives it elegantly.

Though almost all the tests played thus far by this left handed batsman, have been at home, the quality and quantity of runs have told the whole story. The runs have accumulated and the banks overflow with the richness of content. England’s answers to the opening slot have been fulfilled to the core by this cricketer, with the confidence and skills to partner Trescothick and supplement and support him, and bring England on top of the ratings. England has won their last 8 tests consecutively, and this man has played a key role almost every time!

Till now, whatever this young man has been living in a Golden Period, where nothing goes wrong and everything comes good. We at Cricketfundas.com wish that this maroon glace of cricket preserve his good form and flow and bring joy into our lives with his heartwarming and consistent performances.

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