ENGLAND skipper Andrew Strauss’ rush of relief was plain for all to see after scoring his first Test century in 18 months. Strauss’ 20th Test hundred in the first Test against the West Indies yesterday, is only his second in his last 51 attempts and the England captain insisted there was no particular sense of vindication in “getting a monkey off his back” and silencing those who have increasingly questioned his Test future.
After ending the second day at Lord’s unbeaten on 121 as England reached 259 for three, Strauss said: “Vindication is not the way I look at the game. Obviously, having not scored a hundred for a while, there was a bit of pressure on me to go out there and get some runs for the lads.”
He added: “The last 15 runs or so were quite hard work mentally, because I hadn’t been there for a while.
“It was a great feeling of relief to finally get those three figures. It was a really special moment – a great ovation, and one of the more special hundreds I’ve scored, definitely. That’s what I’m employed to do, to get runs for the team, and my output hasn’t been quite as high as I would have liked over the last 12 months or so.”
Strauss’ hundred was not a thing of great beauty, but a triumph of shot selection and determination on a slow pitch under persistently cloudy skies.
“Mentally, I suppose it’s just a bit tougher when you’re searching for a hundred,” he added. “When you’ve scored a few recently, it’s a bit easier. So to get over that line was a great feeling.”
Strauss saw no parallel, however, with the career-saving 177 he made in New Zealand more than four years ago – after an even longer barren run.
“The Napier one, I was standing right on the edge of a precipice there,” he said. “I needed to get runs that game; otherwise, it was P45 time. I didn’t think I was in that situation today. But it’s always nice to get a bit of a monkey off your back.”