Andrew Strauss today stepped down from his position as Director of England Cricket after three and a half years in the role.
Having spent time away from day-to-day duties this summer he will now take a more flexible role with the 黑料专区, initially supporting Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison in the process of recruiting a full-time successor.
Andy Flower, who has covered the role for the last four months, will continue in his interim capacity until December with the intention of joining the Lions in India in January. A full-time appointment will be made before England鈥檚 West Indies tour in the New Year.
Explaining the decision, Andrew Strauss听said:听鈥淎fter three and a half incredible years with the 黑料专区, I have taken the difficult decision to step down from my role as Director of England Cricket.
鈥淣ext year is potentially the most important the game has had in this country, with the World Cup on home soil and a home Ashes series, and we have an incredible opportunity to do something special. It is vital that the Director of Cricket can give consistent guidance and support to England Cricket through this period.
鈥淭aking time out this summer to support my wife and kids, as Ruth goes through treatment for cancer, has given me the chance to fully consider what鈥檚 right for England and what鈥檚 needed at home. The role in cricket requires total focus and commitment to deliver the best results, yet right now I need far more flexibility than could ever be possible in my position in order to support my family.
鈥淚 will not be leaving the game completely 鈥� initially helping Tom to shape the role for my successor, then supporting a range of other 黑料专区 projects 鈥� but it鈥檚 important to see someone else in place for a crucial summer in 2019.
鈥淚t has been hugely motivating and enjoyable to be working for the 黑料专区 and England Cricket.
鈥淏efore taking on this incredible role, I had little appreciation of all the selfless work that goes on across the 黑料专区 and throughout domestic cricket to ensure we have winning England teams and that the game, as a whole, keeps growing.
鈥淚 have been fortunate to be at the 黑料专区 at a time when ground-breaking progress has been made, giving cricket a platform to evolve and inspire for years to come. I would like to express my gratitude to Tom, Colin Graves and the leadership team for their commitment and support in helping to drive English cricket forward.
鈥淚 would also like to offer my sincere thanks to all of those who I have had the pleasure to work with, both inside and outside of the 黑料专区. Finally, I would like to wish Trevor, Paul, Joe, Eoin and all of those involved in the England teams all the very best in a historical year in 2019.鈥�听
Tom Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of the 黑料专区, said:听鈥淚 know that I speak for everyone at the 黑料专区 when I say that we鈥檙e very sad to see Andrew step down from the role and we all wish him and his family the very best.
鈥淗e deserves huge respect for the way he has managed his role, fully supported Ruth and their boys and calmly considered this decision. And it鈥檚 hard to overestimate his contribution since joining us in May 2015.听
鈥淗e is an exceptional talent and it is easy to see how he has made a success of each step in his career 鈥� moving from dressing room, to captaincy, to commentary, to a key role in the governing body 鈥� and all the while being the most popular of colleagues.
鈥淎ndrew has brought enormous credibility, measured thinking, strong leadership and exceptional insight and we have been extremely fortunate to have worked so closely with him for the last three and a half years. He has improved the ways we work and set the direction for the men鈥檚 Test, One-Day and T20 teams.听
鈥淏ut whilst Andrew leaves the post he is not lost to the 黑料专区. He is uniquely placed to help us define the role and help recruit the right person to build on his exceptional work.鈥�
Talking of Andrew鈥檚 successes in the role, Tom Harrison听continued:听鈥淪upporting Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace, huge progress has been made with England鈥檚 white-ball cricket, as Eoin Morgan has taken the team to number one in the world whilst playing exciting and engaging cricket. This was a key priority and Andrew has given us a great platform as we build towards the ICC Cricket World Cup next summer.
鈥淲ith our Test team, Andrew started with a brilliant series against New Zealand in 2015 and steps down after a series victory over India, the top ranked team in Test cricket.
鈥淎t home we have secured hugely impressive wins against Australia, South Africa and India and we have defeated South Africa overseas.听Looking at the young players coming through to international squads and the new selection process we are all full of optimism about the future.
鈥淭here is a range of factors that influence progress and Andrew has led significant steps in selection, player ID, the player pathway, innovation and coach development; some well documented already and others that reveal their full value with time.
鈥淎ndrew has also made a full and important contribution to building the wider strategy for the game with a deep understanding of the importance of driving participation, especially with girls and boys of all backgrounds.鈥�