Finally, wait is over for the nearly man

In 2006, when Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff were nursing serious injuries, Strauss led the Test team to three wins and a draw against Pakistan before the visitors famously forfeited the 'ball-tampering' match at The Oval.

England's then selection panel - Duncan Fletcher, David Graveney and Geoff Miller - thought long and hard about who should take charge of the following winter's Ashes defence and a small group of cricket journalists were with Strauss, at a dinner to launch his autobiography, on the night when he was told the job had been given to Flintoff.

The Middlesex man subsequently confessed to a deep sense of disappointment but no one could guess from his body language that evening which way the vote had gone.

No one, either, suggested for a minute that Strauss's subsequent lack of runs during England's 5-0 Ashes whitewashing had anything to do with a lingering sense of dismay at having been overlooked. Indeed, if anything he was probably guilty of trying too hard to be a dominant force for Flintoff, especially once his regular opening partner, Marcus Trescothick, went home ill.

A thoroughly good bloke. That is the way Strauss is most often summed up and England can consider themselves mighty fortunate he is back in the team, and back in top form, when they need him most.

Who on earth would the England and Wales Cricket Board have turned to yesterday - after Kevin Pietersen resigned just before he was about to be sacked - if Strauss had not been in their squad for this month's tour of West Indies? Thankfully, it was not a problem they had to confront and, even better, the 31-year-old opener needed no convincing before taking on a post which, at present, would frighten many.

Most people suggested last August that Pietersen's reign as skipper might be short and not very sweet. Some believed those fears should have been enough to discount the colourful KP from consideration, or at least led to Strauss being installed for the Test part of the job.

Once again, though, the left-hander from Lord's was overlooked - only to score a century in each innings of Pietersen's first overseas Test as captain and put England in what should have been a winning position against India at Chennai.

However, the visitors somehow managed to lose that Test. Now they have lost their skipper and their coach, Peter Moores, leaving Strauss to attempt to pick up the pieces, unite a dressing room dismayed and divided by a row which should have been sorted out in private and then attempt to win a series against West Indies which suddenly looks losable.

There is still plenty to sort out after yesterday's high drama which bordered on high farce amid claims and counter claims of resignations and sackings. For hour after hour the ECB said nothing official and their promised media statement was only 45 minutes away when Pietersen announced he had fallen on his sword. Fallen before he was pushed.

England's best batsman had not meant it to come to this.

He clearly thought he could count on support from players such as Strauss and Flintoff and, presumably, at least some management over his dispute with Moores.

But when it came to opinions being canvassed, there was nothing like the backing for KP that he imagined.

Both men had to go because, in the words of managing director Hugh Morris, this had become "an impossible situation" and "in the present situation it was impossible to restore the dressing-room unity".

One day, the full extent of the disagreement between captain and coach may become apparent. But of much more importance now, while Moores's severance package is being worked out, is how Pietersen will feel and fare once back in the dressing room.

Morris and Co now have several months to find a full-time coach and, in the short-term at least, it should not matter too much if a couple of members of Moores's considerable backroom staff decide against going to the Caribbean. But, after losing four of their last six Test series, England can ill-afford any more friction in and around the team.

And that is where Strauss comes in. Yes, he is a 'good bloke' and yes there is widespread respect for him throughout the game but he is also tough enough to stamp on any hint of trouble.

"Andrew is a strong enough character that if he saw somebody, be it an experienced member of the side or a youngster with only a handful of caps, acting out of order he would tell them," said Shaun Udal, Strauss's Middlesex colleague and county captain.

As for Middlesex coach Toby Radford, he has no doubt England have landed on their feet. "The whole thing has been a mess but I'm delighted for Straussy," said Radford. "I'm sure he will do England proud. He's a level-headed guy and he deserves a chance as captain."

The reaction from Down Under to the crisis in English cricket, meanwhile, has been fairly predictable. "Do you fall over laughing or are you just dumbfounded?" asked former Australia fast bowler Geoff Lawson.