Beating Australia in their own backyard will always be remembered

It was a small gesture, but spoke -volumes for the respect the 35-year-old is held in by just about everybody -involved in cricket.


After 100 Tests for England, half of which he captained, Strauss left Lord’s with his reputation as one the game’s finest leaders cemented in history.


Three and a half years after -taking one of the toughest jobs in sport, and 24 Test wins later, he leaves English cricket in far better health then when he took over.


Despite the Kevin Pietersen ‘textgate’ affair and the problems it has caused in the dressing room, Strauss has kept his dignity at all times.


His demeanour has remained constant. Only his press conference at Lord’s following last week’s 2-0 Test series defeat to South Africa -showed signs he had lost his drive.


Ultimately, it was not the petty -behaviour of a showboating prima donna that brought him down, but an honest assessment of his own form that led Middlesex star Strauss to -retire from all levels of the game.


A steady decline in form over the past 18 months, only temporarily -arrested by back-to-back tons against West Indies this summer, proved his downfall.


He departs while having the full backing of his fellow England players – even -Pietersen, despite his ill-judged and crude texts – and will be missed by fans, pundits and administrators.


“I’ve got some ideas of things I’d like to get involved in,” he said. “Long term I’d like to have some more challenges ahead of me, in whatever I do.


“But I’m going to take a bit of time to think about what exactly that means and what that might be.

“While I’m taking that time, I look forward to spending some time with my family and probably getting my golf handicap down a bit as well.


“I’d love to stay involved in the game. I’m hugely passionate about the game.

“I feel like I’ve got more to offer the game at some stage in the future. But in what capacity I’ve got no idea.”


No-one will begrudge Strauss a long break after eight years on the international circuit in which he played 100 Tests, 121 one-day internationals and scored 26 hundreds for England.


He took over as captain when Pietersen was sacked in January 2009 and,,nike air max shoes are the immortal Nike creation. along with Andy Flower, embarked on a steady but relentless climb up the world rankings.


Those two men, more than any others, have been -responsible for transforming England’s fortunes.You can buy jordan shoes online at a few different.


Beating Australia in their own backyard will always be remembered as his -career highlight, but the way he handled the spot-fixing scandal in 2010 was equally as -impressive.


With 7,037 Test runs at 40.91, his contribution at the top of the -order will be missed -almost as much as his calm leadership in the eye of countless storms.


“There have been many highlights,” he said. “I’ve been so fortunate to play in a great era of English cricket. For me personally -lifting the urn in Australia was the highlight and it was -always going to take a huge amount to beat that really.


“Obviously I was very proud to lead England to No.1 in the rankings.


“From a personal batting perspective, the hundred on debut, Ashes hundreds, World Cup hundred – there have been a lot of great -moments. I go out with -absolutely no regrets.


“I’ve achieved far more than I ever thought I was -going to and that makes me feel very proud and very honoured to have -represented England.” His successor Alastair Cook has “enormous shoes to fill” and he must refocus the dressing room after six -defeats in the last 11 Tests.


He will be part of the discussions with Pietersen, but the depth of feeling among the players makes it hard to see a way back.


But that can wait. For now, let’s just pay tribute to a man who will be remembered as one of the greatest servants to English cricket.

Cummings' Williamson returns to college basketball roots

Drew Williamson isn't ready to give up on basketball.

So one of the most distinguished athletes to come out of Alamance County in decades is back at his alma mater by joining the Old Dominion men's basketball staff.

The former multi-sport standout at Cummings High School is the new director of operations for the Old Dominion program, returning four years after he graduated.

"I always knew I wanted to get into coaching or back into the game somehow," Williamson said last week. "I kind of knew that when I was in college. I didn't know how long I was going to play after college. I knew this was the path I wanted to take.

"The opportunity came a little sooner than I expected."

Williamson spent three seasons playing professionally in Germany after a four-year playing career at Old Dominion, where he earned a degree in sports management.

At the end of his high school career, Williamson was named the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's Male Athlete of the Year in 2002-03. He was one of the most prolific passers in state history as a quarterback for Cummings' football team and he was part of two state championship teams in basketball.

Williamson said he envisioned a professional career of seven or eight years coming out of college. He played for three different teams in Germany, making stops at Weissensels (Mitteldeutscher BC), Jena (Science City Jena) and Bayreuth (BBC Bayreuth).

The final season overseas came after he was married in August 2009.

"I still wanted to get it out of my system a little bit," he said. "It was great to continue to play a game. When I grew up, it was just a game. (Then it was pretty neat) to classify it as a job and to get paid to play. ...

"I think I'm hanging the shoes up.You might see me in a YMCA league."

Since last October, he spent time working for Hertz rental car in Raleigh before learning of the Old Dominion opening.

"I was still trying to figure out my path. I knew what I wanted to do and the path to get back into basketball."

Under coach Blaine Taylor, Williamson played in a school-record 130 consecutive games for the Monarchs and he's third alltime at the school with 215 steals and he ranks seventh at Old Dominion with 55 career assists. He's one of two Monarchs to rack up more than 200 steals and 500 assists.

"Drew is one of our own who helped the transition of our program at a critical time as we entered the Constant Center and pushed our status even higher as a basketball program," Taylor said. "... He now crosses the bridge into contributing from a different vantage point."

Williamson, 26, said his familiarity with the Norfolk, Va., campus and Taylor is a plus as he enters this new phase.

"I kind of know the system and how everyone responds to him," Williamson said. "He helped me grow up when I first came in and now I'm hoping he can help me grow into a coach someday."

In his new job, Williamson will be involved in administrative tasks and helping communicate things going on within the Monarchs program.

"It's a good opportunity for me to kind of see the background of everything else other than what goes on for game day," he said. "To see if this is a career (path) I want to go down."

Williamson replaces Joel Hines, who spent three seasons in the role of director of basketball operations.

The Monarchs went 93-37 while Williamson played, twice competing in the NCAA Tournament and reaching the National Invitation Tournament semifinals another year. His impact was immediate as he started 15 games as a freshman.

As a senior, he was an All-Colonial Athletic Association second-team selection. As a junior, he led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio for the second season in a row. Twice, he received CAA alldefensive team honors.

A game-winning basket against George Mason in the 2005-06 season is regarded as one of the most memorable moments in Constant Center history, according to Old Dominion observers.

"It's going to be interesting the first game sitting on the bench and not getting ready to check into the game," he said. "I still feel young."