Shoaib Akhtar backs Strauss for Ashes captaincy by AFP

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Player:	Shoaib Akhtar, AJ Strauss
Event:	Pakistan in British Isles 2006

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DateLine: 11th September 2006

 

Shoaib Akhtar has said current England captain Andrew Strauss should continue to lead the side on their Ashes tour of Australia.

 

England's selectors are due to name their squad for Australia at The Oval on Tuesday, a year to the day since a draw at the south London ground saw their side win its first Ashes series for 19 years, with Strauss going head-to-head with Andrew Flintoff for the captaincy.

 

In the ongoing absence of Ashes-winning skipper Michael Vaughan due to a knee injury, Flintoff led England in the early stages of their current home season.

 

But the all-rounder has been out of action since June with an ankle problem and that left opening batsman Strauss in charge of the side.

 

Under Strauss, England lost 5-0 to Sri Lanka in a one-day series, beat Pakistan 3-0 in a Test series and, on Sunday, won by three wickets here at Edgbaston to draw a one-day campaign against Inzamam-ul-Haq's side 2-2 with one no-result washout.

 

Pakistan fast bowler Akhtar, who played in the first four matches of that series before missing the Edgbaston finale with a knee problem, said Strauss ought to captain England as so much was already expected of Flintoff.

 

"My personal opinion is that Strauss wouldn't be a bad call," Akhtar told Bigstarcricket.com.

 

"I don't mean anything against Freddie (Flintoff) but he is coming back from injury, he's a middle-order batsman, he opens the bowling, he stands at slip and to be captain as well is asking a lot.

 

"He's a massive player in the team and you wouldn't want to risk a player like that," the 'Rawalpindi Express' insisted.

 

England came from 2-0 down to square the one-dayers and Akhtar, who missed the Test series with an ankle injury, said a long tour had finally caught up with his team-mates.

 

"I think the main problem for the boys in that final game, maybe the last two games that we lost, was tiredness.

 

"For the boys who have been here in England all through, it's been a very long tour and it started to get to them mentally and physically, I think.

 

"You could see the guys were fatigued and didn't have the same energy as in the first couple of matches.

 

"Everybody is mentally tired, there has been a lot of cricket and some controversy along the way and it takes its toll eventually.

 

"However, we should still have won the one-day series and if it hadn't rained in Cardiff, I'm sure we would have won it."

 

Pakistan's tour was overshadowed by last month's extraordinary climax to the fourth Test at The Oval where the tourists became the first side in history to forfeit a Test when they stayed off the field in protest at being earlier penalised five runs for ball-tampering.

 

Inzamam is due to answer charges, as captain, of ball-tampering and bringing cricket into disrepute arising out of that match at a hearing in London on September 27 and 28.

 

The first of a five-Test Ashes series starts at Brisbane's Gabba ground on November 23.

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)