Video: Pietersen returns to England | Video: Pietersen's press conference

Warne plays down England link | Pietersen tops Strauss' in-tray | England coaching job would suit an Aussie | Why cricket conspires against Pietersen | Latest action from the Long Room at Lord's | Snape says Ashes will be mental battle | Miller insists he was unaware of ‘deep-rooted problems’

Andrew Strauss described the England one-day situation as being “in a state of flux” yesterday. As opposed to what, you felt inclined to ask. It may not be the most positive reason for giving Strauss the limited-overs captaincy as well as the Test job, but things could not get worse under his charge.

England have flunked the past four World Cups stretching back to 1995-96. That winter they went to compete on the sub-continent shattered after heavy exertions in South Africa. In 1999, they prepared for a tournament in the chilly English spring by playing a triangular series of dubious integrity in sweltering Sharjah. Four years later, they were demoralised by the long-running Zimbabwe saga. And in 2007 they were hamstrung by a strategy in which the prime focus was to keep Michael Vaughan in the side.

England coaching job would suit an Aussie

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• Shane Warne plays down England link

• Kevin Pietersen tops Andrew Strauss' in-tray

• Andrew Strauss has case for one-day captaincy

BACKGROUND

• Cricket conspired against Pietersen

• Miller was unaware of problems

• Latest action from the Long Room at Lord's

• Snape: Ashes will be a psychological battle

Multimedia

• Video: Pietersen returns to England

• Video: Pietersen's press conference

Times Archive, 1974: Boycott walks out

To an uncommon degree, Boycott is a man driven by personal ambition. This being so he finds it more difficult than most to accept a subordinate position

• Times Archive: Sport

Related Links

• Strauss asked to pick up the pieces

• Strauss offers a safe pair of hands

If the selectors decide today not to put Strauss in control across the board, then memories of Vaughan will be a factor. By the end of his tenure it became a question of finding not the best, but the least worst place in the order for the captain at the time. And, because Strauss is not deemed worthy of a place in the one-day side on merit, he is easily viewed as a similar case.

Strauss was out of form when he last played one-day cricket for England, at the 2007 World Cup. By that stage, morale had sapped - this was after “Fredalo” - and the absence of an attacking batsman such as Mal Loye at the top of the order left the squad short of options. Strauss scored 83 runs in four innings. He is better than that, as he showed nine months ago by recording 163 in a Friends Provident Trophy tie for Middlesex against Surrey.

His statistics compare favourably with those of Vaughan - as they should. Strauss averages 31.98 from 78 one-day internationals, with a strike-rate of 75.82 runs per hundred balls. Vaughan averaged 27.15 from 86 matches, with a strike-rate of 68.39.

It is more pertinent to assess Strauss alongside Ian Bell, because the Warwickshire batsman was considered good enough to play 35 successive games until being dropped in India before Christmas. Bell has a slightly higher average of 35.47 but an inferior strike-rate, 72.36.

The next question is where Strauss would fit into the side. Fifty-over cricket has become an extension of Twenty20, so that batsmen are playing more freely than ever in the first powerplay overs. Strauss is not a natural forcing player. He will cut all day long and pull effectively, but is hardly given to driving through the line. Unfortunately, England no longer have Marcus Trescothick at the other end to take the pressure away from a more accumulative partner.

Strauss played some of his best one-day innings for England at No 4. One sticks in the memory, a hundred against West Indies at Lord's in 2004, when he added 226 with Andrew Flintoff. Under the tutelage of Duncan Fletcher as coach, Strauss improved against spin and became adroit at working the ball into space. That will be an invaluable skill come the 2011 World Cup on the sub-continent.

Although a 5-0 reverse suggests otherwise, England developed a decent unit from positions three to six in India. Owais Shah has justified an extended run while Kevin Pietersen, Flintoff and Paul Collingwood look undroppable, although Collingwood may be on the downturn. But why not use one of the crackerjacks, Pietersen or Flintoff, to take advantage of the hard ball and powerplays as an opener, with Strauss slotting in at No 4?

Within the team there is no feasible alternative as captain. Looking outside means gambling on someone not thought worthy of a place. In which case, England may as well go with Strauss and at least unite the formats. They may be pleasantly surprised.

Tour Squads and dates
Test (to play West Indies): A J Strauss (captain), T R Ambrose, J M Anderson, I R Bell, S C J Broad, P D Collingwood, A N Cook, A Flintoff, S J Harmison, M S Panesar, K P Pietersen, M J Prior, A U Rashid, O A Shah, R J Sidebottom, G P Swann.Series details: First Test: Feb 4-8 (Jamaica). Second: Feb 13-17 (Antigua). Third: Feb 26-Mar 2 (Barbados). Fourth: March 6-10 (Trinidad).

One-day and Twenty20 (to play West Indies): Anderson, Bell, R S Bopara, Broad, Collingwood, S M Davies, Flintoff, Harmison, A D Mascarenhas, S R Patel, Pietersen, Prior, Shah, Swann, Sidebottom. (One-day and Twenty20 captain to be decided). Series details: Twenty20 international: March 15 (Trinidad). First one-day international: March 20 (Guyana). Second: March 22 (Guyana). Third: March 27 (Barbados). Fourth: March 29 (in Barbados). Fifth: April 3 (St Lucia).

Lions (to play against New Zealand A): R W T Key (captain), G J Batty, Bopara, M Davies, *Davies, J R Denly, A Khan, S I Mahmood, S C Moore, E J G Morgan, Patel, L E Plunkett, I J L Trott, L J Wright. (Ambrose will replace Steven Davies after the Test series). Details: Four-day matches: First: March 1 (Queenstown). Second: March 7 (Lincoln). One-day matches: March 13 (Palmerston North). March 16: (Palmerston North). Twenty20 match: March 19 (New Plymouth).