Strauss is happy to open up for England

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Strauss, having built a career around going in first, was suddenly moved down a place in New Zealand last month because the selectors felt Alastair Cook and captain Michael Vaughan might make a more potent top-order partnership.

The switch worked for Strauss - eventually - with the Middlesex left-hander emerging from a long slump to score 177 in Napier and set up England for a series-clinching victory against the Kiwis.

But Vaughan failed to prosper, averaging only 20, and he has already suggested swapping places again with the batsman who spent the first half of last winter out of the side following a year of uphill struggle.

"It's fine for me," said Strauss, who went in first at Lord's yesterday and made 36 for his county in their clash against Glamorgan. "I've opened pretty much all my career so it's not a problem," said Strauss. "Hopefully I'll be one of the names on the team sheet [for next month's First Test against New Zealand], that's the most important thing. Where I bat is not a massive thing for me."

Strauss has made a modest start to the new season with 64 runs in three innings. But his 163 against Sussex last weekend in a one-day game showed there is nothing wrong with his touch or timing.

Vaughan, on the other hand, keeps missing out. Dismissed for nought and two last week while playing for Yorkshire against the students of Bradford/Leeds University, the Test captain fell for 19 at Headingley yesterday when edging Hampshire's Shane Bond into the slips.

However, Andrew Flintoff gave his chances of returning against the Kiwis a boost yesterday after the injury-plagued Lancashire all-rounder took two for 40 in an impressive spell against Somerset.