Strauss Keeps England Job

Andrew Strauss will captain England in next week's first Test against Pakistan - but he will vacate the job as soon as Andrew Flintoff is fit to play for his country again.

The England and Wales Cricket Board this afternoon confirmed their contingency plan, in the continued absence of the regular captain Michael Vaughan whose knee problems are likely to keep him on the sidelines for at least the next four months.

Flintoff, also struggling with injury, sat out the recently-completed NatWest Series because of ongoing soreness in his left ankle, but today's announcement suggests that he is likely to be England's captain in Australia this winter, despite the obvious imposition upon his talismanic abilities.

The pivotal all-rounder was badly missed in last weekend's limited-overs debacle against Sri Lanka, in which Strauss took over and led England to a humiliating 5-0 whitewash.

Vaughan, who underwent a fourth operation on his knee yesterday, was told beforehand he could expect a four to six-month recovery period - placing his availability for England's Ashes campaign in Australia next winter in serious doubt.