‘Under fire’ Strauss says he doesn’t need to prove himself

LONDON - England skipper Andrew Strauss, who is under pressure due to bad form and criticism of his tactics, has said that he doesn’t need to prove himself.

Strauss was one of the mainstays of England’s batting in their Ashes victory. But, after a glorious run of success since becoming full-time skipper in January 2009, his performance is now under scrutiny.

He vowed to get things right and launched a strong defence of his ability and decision-making as England try to extend their 2-1 lead in the series-decider against Pakistan at Lord’s today.

Strauss is struggling at the top of a England batting line-up that has collapsed four times in three Tests. His captaincy is also under attack from legends like Ian Botham, Mike Atherton and Jonathan Agnew, The Sun reports.

Strauss said: “I’d like to think that I can do something about being the player under the microscope. I wanted to score more runs but it has been tough for opening batsmen with the ball swinging around.”

“I’d like to get a score both as a batsman and as a captain to lead by example. But you’re not going to score runs every time otherwise your name would be Don Bradman. I’m pretty happy with my batting and I’ve made useful contributions. Lord’s is a ground where I generally play well and I’m confident going into this game,” he said.

“We need to bat better - it would be wrong to put our heads in the sand and just say everything is fine. But there is a strong determination to prove The Oval was a one-off,” he added.

Strauss’ field placing in the second innings at the Brit Oval against Pakistan came under severe criticism for being too conservative. (ANI)