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Whether fielding in the slips or talking to the media, Andrew Strauss is known as a safe pair of hands and if his tenure as the England captain proves to be uneventful after the circumstances of the coronation, then everybody inside the dressing-room and within the ECB will be content.

Strauss, 31, was disappointed to be overlooked for the full-time position when Andrew Flintoff was preferred for the 2006-07 Ashes and annoyed when Kevin Pietersen leapt above him to succeed Michael Vaughan in August last year. But changing circumstances mean that third time may prove to be very lucky indeed.

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Australia are far more vulnerable now than they were on Flintoff's visit, when the incentive of recapturing the Ashes and determination of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne to retire from Test cricket on a winning note contributed towards a 5-0 whitewash. Strauss will fancy his chances of reclaiming the urn this summer.

Like Pietersen, he was born in South Africa, but there is no twang in the accent. He left Johannesburg at the age of 6 and the only thing that strikes about Strauss's voice is its sheer volume. Having studied economics at Durham University he may have put it to good use across the floors of the stock markets, but for his aptitude for cricket.

Within the dressing-room he is not viewed as a political operator. His plain dress sense - deck shoes and polo tops are favoured - is a source of mickey-taking. Colleagues see him as a bit of a toff and nicknamed him “Brockett” after Lord Brockett, who was appearing in I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here'! when he first came into the side.

Strauss began his Test career with a hundred on debut against New Zealand at Lord's in 2004 and was on course to score another in the second innings when he was run out by Nasser Hussain. Two hundreds followed in the 2005 Ashes and, as locum for Flintoff and Michael Vaughan, he led England to a 2-0 win over Pakistan the next year in a series remembered for the ball-tampering controversy at the Brit Oval.

This time last year he was fighting for his place having been omitted from the Sri Lanka tour in 2007. He saved his career by scoring 177 against New Zealand in Napier ten months ago. The innings displayed Strauss at his best: determined, unshowy and productive. A strength is playing the next ball rather than worrying about the last. That ability to look forward will hold him in good stead after a wretched week for the English game.