Strauss denies claims of stepping down as ODI captain due to being henpecked

London, Apr 17(ANI): England Test skipper Andrew Strauss has dismissed claims that he gave up the one-day captaincy because he is henpecked.

"That was pretty disappointing considering the person in question knows neither me nor my wife. Well nobody is beyond criticism. I didn't feel, I don't feel, that the talk of me finishing after that game was right. I can't agree with that, but those are the things you have to deal with as an England player," The Sun quoted Strauss, as saying.

"I hate my players having to come out and defend me - as a captain you want to feel that you are one of the first names on the teamsheet, so that has been very frustrating. But I was so determined, and feel very determined to take the team further," he added.

His statement came after Sky TV pundit and former captain Bob Willis' claims that he handed over the ODI captaincy to Alastair Cook in 2011 due to pressure back home. The jibe came during the recent tour of Sri Lanka, where England went into the final Test after losing four Tests consecutively.

Strauss, who led the side to World No 1 in the Test rankings, is also eyeing a century, having notched only one ton in 48 innings but he did hit a formidable 61 in the final innings of the Colombo Test, which he claimed indicated that more runs and victories are on the cards.

He admitted he is frustrated by his lack of big scores and did not like his players defending him in public.

"What Colombo has taught me is how much gas there is left in the tank yet.No one likes to be the topic of the month - it's not fun to feel that pressure.I had a long chat with Andy Flower and we agreed that sometimes when you become the focus it forces you to confront the problem," he said.

"It shouldn't get to the stage where you need a jab to perform but it often does. There are countless examples of players who have timed their run late to re-establish their credentials," he added. (ANI)