Many expected Andrew Strauss would resigned from the England cricket captaincy after the team's Test series drubbing at the hands of South Africa. However, I don't think anybody picked that Strauss would retire from cricket altogether.
At the press conference where he made the announcement, Strauss said his poor batting form - not the Kevin Pietersen saga - was the main driver behind his decision. It's been met with shock from fans, players and the media alike. I'm pretty shocked myself: England players often continue in country cricket for a few more years, largely as a mentor to the next generation, and Strauss would have been about as good a mentor for a young player as they could get.
Alas, we will not see Andrew Strauss on a cricket field again. However, thanks to the wonder of YouTube, we can look back at the greatest - and funniest - moments of his career.
- 2004: A century for Strauss on debut against New Zealand. This video focuses on then-captain Nasser Hussain's farewell hundred but there are plenty of clips of Strauss.
- 2005: Andrew Strauss scores a vital 129 in the tense final Test of one of the great modern Ashes series against Australia.
- 2005: Strauss takes a stunning, one-handed catch in the same Ashes series.
- 2010: The 'sprinkler' celebration at winning the Ashes in Australia for the first time in 23 years.
- 2011: Strauss' highest one day international score of 158 comes in a thrilling tie against eventual champions India at the ICC 2011 World Cup.
- May 2012: The first of two last international hundreds, scored against the West Indies.
- July 2012: A very funny video of Strauss accidentally smashing his sunglasses during the first Test against South Africa.
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