ECB chairman pays warm tribute to retiring England skipper
England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke made no attempt to persuade Andrew Strauss to change his mind over his decision to retire from all forms of cricket.
The 35-year-old Strauss confirmed he was bringing to an end a three-and-a-half-year tenure as England captain, as well as a 100-Test career, at a lunchtime press conference at Lord's on Wednesday.
Clarke, addressing a press conference at Derbyshire's County Ground, said he was informed of the decision on Tuesday and held a lengthy talk with Strauss on Wednesday morning.
"I've learned not to be surprised by anything that happens in cricket," said Clarke, who described Strauss as "a great England captain" and hailed his partnership with Andy Flower as a model captain-coach relationship.
Clarke added: "Andrew Strauss is a man who makes his own decisions and he made it clear he had been reaching that conclusion prior to the South Africa series.
"He had a lengthy discussion with Andrew Flower and, although I have learned that Andrew can change his mind sometimes, on this matter definitely not."
