Lee: Strauss leaves ‘huge void’ in England team

Former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee said Andrew Strauss had left a “huge void” in the England team following his retirement from all cricket. England’s then Test captain bowed out on Wednesday, citing declining form as his main reason for calling time in his career. But 35-year-old opening batsman Strauss retired with a fine record of more than 7,000 runs in exactly 100 Tests at an average of over 40 with 21 hundreds — one shy of England’s all-time record. The Middlesex left-hander Strauss also led England to home and away Ashes triumphs, having also starred as a batsman only during their 2005 Test series win against Australia. Lee, who as a new-ball bowler was well-placed to observe Strauss’s merits, told BBC Radio Five on Sunday: “If you look as his record as an opening batsman — 100 Test matches and an average of 40, it’s absolutely phenomenal. “He was a batsman we were fond of, we thought he was a great player. He was always the top of discussion for us — ‘what’s the best way to bowl at Andrew Strauss?’ “He was a respected player and when you got Andrew Strauss out you knew you were bowling pretty well. “He was a very competitive person with a very strong mind. A class act. “He leaves a huge void in the England cricket team,” added Lee. Meanwhile England seamer James Anderson insisted the controversy surrounding Kevin Pietersen’s ongoing exile from international cricket had played no part in Strauss’s decision.