Strauss future in selectors' hands

Andrew Strauss will get a clear indication of his England future on Friday when the squad for the tour of New Zealand is announced by chairman of selectors David Graveney.

Strauss, 30, has been tipped for a recall after getting dropped for the trip to Sri Lanka and watching the Test series defeat unravel as a pundit.

Graveney had insisted the left-handed batsman would be considered for New Zealand when the news of his omission was announced in October, providing it was the "right situation" to bring him back.

Strauss' absence from the Sri Lanka tour has been seen as a boost for the batsman's image, with only Alastair Cook recording a century in a Test series that would have finished 2-0 to the hosts but for the weather. His slip catching was also missed.

Before England's series against Sri Lanka was fully under way, Strauss agreed a short-term deal with New Zealand club side Northern Knights in a bid to play his way back into form in the winter.

Graveney views Strauss as a "fighter" and stated that the centrally contracted player had a "huge part to play" in England's future.

Strauss went a year without a Test century before he was left out, the first time he has been dropped by England in his career. He later revealed how losing the captaincy before the last Ashes series felt like being dropped.

A place in England's batting line-up could be accommodated after Ravi Bopara struggled in his first experience at Test level in Sri Lanka.