ECB grants Andrew Strauss compassionate leave to be with ailing wife

Andrew Strauss, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Director of Cricket, announced on Tuesday 22 May, that he would be taking a temporary break from his role. Andy Flower will step in as replacement for the summer.

Strauss’s wife, Ruth, was diagnosed with cancer in December, and Strauss has been granted compassionate leave to be with her as she begins a new course of treatment later this week.

"My wife was diagnosed with cancer in December," said Strauss. "We are very lucky, she has been very well up to now, although she is starting a new treatment on Friday which is going to more challenging for her, and as such I am going to be stepping back from my day-to-day duties while that treatment is going on.

“On a day-to-day basis, Andy Flower is going to be stepping in for me over the course of the summer. We all know about his qualities and his experience of both England and English cricket and he will fill in my shoes very adequately.

“I look forward to returning and grabbing the reins again. But, at this period of time, my focus has to be on supporting Ruth and my family at a challenging time for us.”

In April, Strauss unveiled a new selection team, with Ed Smith leading the panel. On Tuesday, scouting roles were handed to Marcus Trescothick, Glen Chapple, Steve Rhodes, Richard Dawson, Chris Read and James Taylor.

“They will be compiling reports on players of interest to us,” said Strauss. “But they won’t compile reports on their own players, if they are involved in a county. It is just formalising a process that has been going on in a more ad hoc manner for a long time.

“The idea is for us to get better information on all the players in county cricket. This is not what some people think it is, around loads of data and statistics. This is about getting qualitative information on what England’s needs are.”