Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss will be remembered for being one of England's most successful captains.
During his 50 Tests in charge, he won two Ashes - including the first England have won Down Under in 24 years - and took his side to number one in the Test rankings in 2011.
He played 100 Tests in total, amassed 7,037 runs including 21 centuries, whilst in 127 ODIs he scored 4,205 runs.
A relative latecomer to the international arena - he made his first appearance for England at the age of 26 - Strauss wasted little time in making an impression on Test debut against New Zealand in May 2004 after being called up in place of injured skipper Michael Vaughan.
A mix-up with Nasser Hussain prevented the left-hander from recording centuries in both innings at Lord’s but scores of 112 and 83 ensured the Middlesex opener kept his place when Hussain subsequently retired.
Strauss continued to excel at the highest level and became the fourth fastest Englishman to reach 1,000 Test runs on the winter tour to South Africa that followed.
Playing freely at the top of the order, he was the only batsman from either side to register two centuries as England memorably reclaimed the Ashes from Australia in 2005.
A jubilant Andrew Strauss savours England's historic triumph in the 2010-11 Ashes. The left-hander captained the tourists to comprehensive innings victories in three of the five Tests
In the absence of Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff, Strauss enjoyed a spell as captain of his country in 2006, but just over 18 months later his England career looked to be under threat as he was dropped for the tour to Sri Lanka.
He was to answer his critics formidably.
Having being recalled to bat at three in the Tests against New Zealand, he stubbornly reined in his natural attacking instincts to grind his way to 177 in the second innings of the final match in Napier, setting up a 121-run victory.
Strauss never looked back and, after taking over from Kevin Pietersen as full-time skipper at the beginning of 2009, he and newly-appointed team director Andy Flower masterminded a transformation in England's fortunes.
The Ashes were won on home soil for a second time in succession, but an even greater triumph followed in the winter of 2010-11 when Australia were subjected to a stunning 3-1 defeat on home soil, a first English triumph Down Under in 24 years.
Strauss retired from international limited-overs cricket after the subsequent World Cup, having compiled a sensational 158 - England’s third-highest ODI score - in the dramatic tied group game against hosts and eventual winners India.
He continued to lead in the game’s premier form, however, and was at the helm for a 4-0 npower series thrashing of India that saw England displace their opponents as the world’s number one Test side.
Strauss oversaw a difficult tour of the United Arab Emirates, where England lost 3-0 to Pakistan before helping his side to redemption by virtue of a 1-1 draw in Sri Lanka.
He responded to questions over his own form in fine style that summer, striking a century - his first in 18 months - against West Indies at Lord's before repeating the trick in the second Investec Test at Trent Bridge, as England won 2-0.
Strauss played his 100th Test and 50th as captain in the finale of the series with South Africa, which England lost 2-0. Just over a week later he announced his retirement from professional cricket.
