Whether or not Kevin Pietersen has actually resigned – and at the time of writing this was still unclear – we now know one thing for sure: England are fast running out of captains. Among the current dressing room, Andrew Strauss, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood have already done the job in various formats; and since the 2005 Ashes we can also add Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick to the list. Six skippers in 3½ years looks like an awful lot of indecision.
Speculation this morning has tossed the names of Alastair Cook and Rob Key into the equation. But while Key may have the nous and, crucially, the respect of his friend Flintoff, he is yet to convince as a batsman at the highest level. As for Cook, Gordon Brown would probably point out that now is most definitely not the time for a novice.
Since Flintoff will not be handed the armband again in a hurry and Collingwood stepped down as one-day captain in the summer because he wanted to save his career as a batsman, we are left with Strauss. Would he really be such a bad option?
In a dressing room of egos, Strauss is one of the good guys. He took one for the team by stepping side to allow Flintoff to lead England in Australia two winters ago and can point to victory over Pakistan in 2006 in his only full series in charge. Since the Ashes were won in 2005, he is the only England captain to have achieved a series win over a side other than West Indies or New Zealand. His average as captain is 55. And, crucially perhaps, he has run into form at the right time.
There are problems, of course, but then this is English cricket we are talking about and a new problem seems to crop up every day. The first is that Strauss has not played one-day international cricket since the end of the World Cup almost two years ago and England are loathe to go down the split-captaincy route so soon after uniting the different strands under Pietersen.
The second is that Strauss will need to work hard to convince one or two influential members of the side that he is the man for the job. If the past few days has taught us anything, it is that important figures can be toppled from the inside. But then if the past few years has taught us anything, it is that the very least Strauss deserves is another chance.
Lawrence Booth writes on cricket for the Guardian. His third book, Cricket, Lovely Cricket? An Addict’s Guide to the World’s Most Exasperating Game is out now published by Yellow Jersey
