Strauss announces his ODI exit

England Test captain Andrew Strauss announced his retirement from ODI cricket on Thursday. This after he had already stepped down as the skipper paving the way for Alastair Cook to take over the mantle of the side in the 50-over format.

Strauss had earlier stepped down as the ODI captain after a disappointing showing in the World Cup in the Indian sub-continent. The 34-year-old had been one of the few highlights of the team during the tournament with a sensational 158 to his credit which eventually resulted in the drawn match against India at Bangalore.

England went on to lose their quarter final match against Sri Lanka by 10 wickets. "The end of the World Cup was a watershed for all teams, not just England and it is time to refresh, regenerate and move forward," Strauss was quoted by European media as saying. "I've enjoyed my time as England one-day captain immensely but retiring from one-day cricket will enable me to focus solely on the Test captaincy as we strive to be the top ranked team in world cricket."