LONDON // Andrew Strauss says he is "not even close" to thinking he has had enough of the England captaincy, despite his long search for his 20th Test century.
Strauss has made just one hundred in his last 49 Test innings - 18 months ago in Brisbane. On the eve of today's first Test against West Indies at Lord's, Strauss's home ground, he made it clear he plans to be England captain for the foreseeable future.
Asked if he has ever felt fed up of the job, he said: "Not even close. There may be a situation where that has happened to England captains in the past - and maybe it will to me in the future - but I'm not there at the moment yet.
"I'm excited about the challenges ahead, to come out at Lord's again, and I'm hoping we will all show what we're capable of this summer."
Darren Sammy, his counterpart for today's Test, said: "I don't think it's the first time he has been under pressure, and he's responded quite well in the past. Pressure could make you crumble; pressure could make you rise above your expectations - and I know Strauss is a strong guy mentally."
Meanwhile, Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, wants to borrow a leaf from England's book. Gibson was the bowling coach in the early days of England's rise to the top of the rankings.
Gibson has not been surprised by that progress, and he is convinced the same formula can work for the West Indies.
"I've got my own views on how I think the game should be played and how I think the team should function," Gibson said.
"It's not much different to the thoughts of Andy [Flower] and the environment he has had with England. The guys are starting to buy into it now, and we are playing a little bit better.
"We're not winning, and that's a little bit frustrating. But we're improving nonetheless."
* Press Association
