Andrew Strauss and the Test Ahead

And so the year begins for the Ashes. Whilst it's tempting to concentrate solely on the five test matches against the old enemy set for late summer, there are plenty of challenges for the new-look England set-up before then.

Imminently Andrew Strauss and whomever the ECB see fit to coach the side will fly to the West Indies. A month ago it was being written off as a formality. After the Stanford millions, a chance to play some proper cricket and prove what can be done when all eyes are on the the field—not a certain Texan-billionaire.

But what a difference a month makes. Andrew Strauss, Mr. Safe Hands himself, is now in charge after the Kevin Pieterson experiment spectacularly backfired. Presumably the back-slapping style of KP will be a thing of the past, if only to ensure there's no more back-stabbing. 

Strauss follows in the footsteps of another former Middlesex and England captain Mike Brearley—and how prophetic his words from The Art of Captaincy seem now: "Certainly the best player is not necessarily an adequate captain."  

Let's not underestimate the importance of this tour. Should the England team fly home with anything less than a convincing win they'll have no momentum going into their next series—at home—also against the West Indies. 

When England squared up to Australia in 2005 they'd benefited from plenty of batting practice against Bangladesh early in the summer. Marcus Trescothick made the most of the weak opposition helping himself to plenty of runs and looked in imperious form when the Aussies arrived. 

There will be no free runs against the West Indies. The momentum must come from a good overseas tour. But the omens aren't good. 

The last two trips to the West Indies have been dominated by headlines off the field. Long before Alan Stanford had shaken hands with the ECB, there was the famous Flintoff pedalo affair during the last one-day World Cup. With the press watching Strauss, and his team mates closer than ever, there must be no repeat of these antics.

Part on-field tactician, part off-field diplomat, Andrew Strauss will face a tough test on both fronts. 

The West Indians are showing some spirit in New Zealand at the moment, certainly in the shorter forms of the game. If Strauss and his team are going to end the year on a high, they need to unite behind their new captain and concentrate on the prize—winning back the Ashes from a team with their own problems, albeit theirs are mostly on the field.