Andrew Strauss's leadership under fire ahead of Lord's Test

Strauss could hardly be described yet as enduring a truly worrying dip in form; nor can his leadership be under serious scrutiny after his side only forfeited an opportunity to establish the joint-longest winning run in their history when they lost for the first time in seven Tests at The Oval.

Yet such is the nature of international cricket that once Alastair Cook silenced his doubters with a hundred last week, someone else's relative lack of productivity must provide the focus.

Some high-profile observers threw qualms about some stereotyped captaincy into the mix too.

Strauss has heard most of the above many times before, though.

"There are always going to be question marks and people saying you should have done things differently - that is the nature of the beast," he said, on the eve of a match set to start this morning with England 2-1 up with one to play.

"What is clear is you shouldn't be focusing on what other people say outside the group.

"You should focus on within the group, and I'm comfortable in that respect."

It is 18 months since Strauss succeeded the sacked Kevin Pietersen as captain - and after a wobbly start, Ashes success and a drawn series in South Africa have followed.

"As a captain, you do what you think is right," he believes.

"Ultimately you don't second-guess yourself; you go with your convictions, and it is for other people to judge whether it is a good idea or not.

"As soon as you start questioning yourself, it is a dangerous place. I'm not trying to prove myself as a captain; I'm just doing what I think is right.

"Generally we've been successful with that."

Strauss has once again had to address the issue of Kevin Pietersen's form, as well as his own.

Pietersen's scrappy 80 contributed significantly to victory at Edgbaston two matches ago, but has not satisfied those who apparently fear he is not the batsman he once was.

As with Cook, though, Strauss' faith is unwavering.

"One thing that is important to realise is that a lot of the pressure that comes on a batsman comes from outside the group," he said.

"Within it, we had every confidence that Alastair Cook would come right - and he did that.

"The same applies to Kevin Pietersen. If there is pressure it is not coming from within the group - and he will come right.

"You will come back, because you're a good player. KP will come back."

Strauss' opposite number Salman Butt has a little more breathing space, after the return of veteran batsman and former captain Mohammad Yousuf helped Pakistan to their unexpected win at The Oval.

"It is a challenging job with a young team," he said.

"We do not have any home advantages. It is a bigger challenge than any other team has at the moment - so I am enjoying it, and I am very happy with the response the new guys have given me."

He is happy too, it seems, with the presence of Yousuf. "We have had dressing rooms with seven captains sitting inside, so it is not something new.

"It makes a difference when you have experienced people, and you can benefit from that."