Andrew Strauss resigned as England captain on this day in 2012 and retired from professional cricket.
One of England’s most successful captains, Strauss, then 35, was immediately replaced by Alastair Cook.
Strauss was one of only three England captains alongside Mike Brearley and Len Hutton to win the Ashes both home and away, having been chosen to lead his country in all formats in 2009.
Months after replacing Kevin Pietersen, Strauss guided England to a 2009-10 Ashes victory and led them to glory in the 2010-11 series when they retained the ballot box in Australia.
England also became the number one Test team in the world for the first time since the rankings were introduced and Strauss finished as the country’s second captain with 24 wins from his 50 matches.
He scored 7,037 tests with an average of 40.91, placing him ninth on England’s all-time goalscorers list at the time.
Strauss’ decision came shortly after a confrontation with drummer Pietersen, after he texted members of the South African squad during their series.
Pietersen was dropped for the series final test, after which Strauss ended his career in England.
When announcing his retirement, Strauss, who became England’s director of cricket, said: “I am extremely proud of all that I have achieved as a cricketer, and I have had a lot lucky to play at a time when some of England’s cricketers greatest moments happened. I loved every minute of it.
Cook took over and became England’s top Test goalscorer and fifth-top running goalscorer in the format all-time.
