It is easy to read too much into one match, but the fact that Alastair Cook and Michael Vaughan made more than 100 runs together in each innings of the second Test in Sri Lanka last week – the first time an England opening pair had done so for 36 years – might have made for a bleak midwinter for one batsman left at home.

Yet Andrew Strauss, dropped for the first time in his 43-Test career and relegated to getting up at 3am to be a television pundit in London while England were batting in Colombo, is still confident that he can regain his place for the second part of England’s winter, in New Zealand.

To attempt to impress the selectors, he is uprooting his young family for a month after Christmas to play for Northern Districts, the New Zealand side. It will only be in the one-day league, but he hopes the experience he will gain of local conditions can persuade England to pick him for the tour party and that he can then force his way back in through weight of runs. The first Test starts on March 5 at Seddon Park, Hamilton – the home ground of Strauss’s new side.

“This is the first time I have had a break in a very long time and I have enjoyed spending some time away from the game,” Strauss said of the past few weeks, “but the only way I will get my England place back is to score runs. I have to do everything I can to be in form and in the best frame of mind if England need me. A month with Northern Districts is perfect.”

Strauss acknowledges that his form has suffered over the past year, leading to his forced rest despite being given a central contract. Having made ten hundreds in his first 31 Tests, he failed to reach three figures in the next dozen appearances and had only four Test fifties.

Some feel there is a connection between Strauss’s decline and him being passed over for the England captaincy in Australia last winter. Having shown himself to be a shrewd captain whose batting thrived under pressure – he won three of his four Tests before the Ashes party was chosen, averaging 63 – he had to see Andrew Flintoff take on his team and lead them to a 5-0 defeat while keeping the publicans of Australia in profit.

Strauss speaks honestly about his hurt that England did not make him captain. “Duncan Fletcher [the coach at the time] sat me down and said it was a tough call but that there were good reasons why they chose Fred [Flintoff],” Strauss said, “but although I was still in the team it felt like I was dropped. He couldn’t say anything to make it better. I just tried to be as supportive as I could.”

Did he feel let down by Flintoff’s behaviour as captain, though? Strauss paused a while to consider his reply. “No, but he had a lot on his plate,” Strauss said. “With the responsibility for batting and bowling, perhaps the captaincy was too much. I’m not saying he wasn’t equal to the task. No matter who had captained that side – Michael Vaughan, Mike Brearley or anyone – we would not have won the series the way we played. I’m not sure my undefeated run would have carried on for long if I was captain.

“You can argue that there were excesses, but Fred has always been one of the lads and he didn’t have to leave that behind as captain. There were instances when he did things that I’m sure he regrets, but the players didn’t hold it against him.”

Having an enforced rest may do Strauss some good. In the grand scheme of things he is lucky. He was speaking to The Times at Great Ormond Street Hospital School, where very poorly children receive three hours of cricket coaching a week through the Chance to shine charity.

Strauss helped the children with fielding drills and a batting exercise, assisted by Ray Tudor, brother of Alex, the former England fast bowler, who coaches at the hospital every Wednesday. “It pulls at your heartstrings and makes you realise how fortunate you are,” Strauss said.