Strauss must be 'more imaginative'

London: Graham Gooch claims that England captain Andrew Strauss needs to adopt a more imaginative approach to his new role if England are to regain the Ashes this summer.

The former England captain, who scored more Test runs than any other England batsman, believes Strauss has been too cautious since taking the reins from Kevin Pietersen.

A Test series defeat in the Caribbean, salvaged only by England's winning two-Test series against West Indies at the start of the summer, suggest some substance to Gooch's argument.

He said: "Strauss must become a less cautious captain. He needs to be more imaginative, inventive and bold. He is a lovely guy, his man management is good and his form has been sky high since taking the epaulettes from Pietersen. But he needs to loosen up, change his philosophy and risk losing to win Tests if he is to grasp the initiative from Ricky Ponting."

Gooch also advises Strauss to treat Andrew Flintoff as a protected species in controlling his workload.