Andrew John Strauss MBE, (born 2 March 1977 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and international cricket for England. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss has the ability to accumulate runs without playing big shots, in which respect he has been likened to Graham Thorpe.[1] Also, his technique and more specifically his footwork has been compared to that of the Australian opening batsman Justin Langer, who captained Strauss at Middlesex. Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots. Strauss is also known for his excellent fielding either at slip or in the covers. He made his First-class debut in 1998, and made his One Day International (ODI) debut in Sri Lanka in 2003. He quickly rose to fame on his Test match debut replacing the injured Michael Vaughan at Lords against New Zealand in 2004.[2] He became only the fourth batsman to score a century at Lord's on his debut and was close to becoming the first Englishman to score centuries in both innings of his debut when he was run out for 83. He was however given the man of the match award for his efforts in the England win.[1][3] Strauss also scored a century and was named man of the match in his first overseas Test match, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in December 2004.[4] Strauss suffered a drop in form during 2007, and as a result he was left out of the test squad for England's tour of Sri Lanka, and announced that he was taking a break from cricket.[5] After a poor tour for England, Andrew was recalled into the squad for the 2008 tour of New Zealand, and subsequently reestablished himself in the side with a career best century in the third and final test of that series, and a further three centuries in 2008. Having deputised for Michael Vaughan as England captain in 2006, Strauss was appointed on a permanent basis for the 2009 tour of the West Indies following Kevin Pietersen's \"resignation\".
