Profile: Andrew Strauss

He was born in South Africa but Andrew Strauss turned out to be the England captain straight from central casting. Understated, leading from the front, he was a manifestation in cricket whites of gritty substance over style.

The scale of the triumph Strauss achieved today is illustrated by the fact he is only the eighth England captain since 1918 to have led England to regain the Ashes from Australia.

Those who accept the mantle of the England captaincy have seen their form slide. Giants such as Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff buckled under the weight, as did the most naturally talented England batsman of the moment, Kevin Pietersen. Strauss flourished.

He was named man of the series and was not just England's biggest run scorer, but the most successful batsman of any side over the five tests.

Born in 1977 in Johannesburg, though his mother is English, he was educated at Radley College and Durham University. He entered international cricket relatively late but made an instant impact. In his test debut against New Zealand, in 2004 he made a century in his first innings and 83 runs in his second.

He was a cornerstone of England's 2005 Ashes triumph in a side captained by Michael Vaughan.