Sir Andrew Strauss: How to Win the Ashes in Australia (Ep.98)

Sir Andrew Strauss is the last England Captain to win the Ashes in Australia. So what better time to get him in the hotseat. Aside from the timing being perfect, this is a show I have wanted to do from day one. That is not just because he is one of England’s greatest captains and batsmen, but he has also played an integral role in shaping the success of English cricket across formats in recent years. He transformed white ball cricket as Director of Professional Cricket at the ECB, culminating in that most incredible World Cup win in 2019. In doing so, you could say he laid the foundations for the style of test cricket the team is now playing today. 

We recorded this before the disaster (if you’re an England fan) that occurred in Perth, but that makes some of the frighteningly accurate observations made in this conversation more impressive. It is of course a reveal of how to win in Australia, but it is much more than that. From dealing with maverick talent to how to sort out domestic cricket, we’re delighted to welcome Andrew Strauss to the Business of Sport.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

03:40 Ashes Predictions

07:29 Parallels Between the 2010/11 Win and Today’s Team

14:46 The Most Nervous Game

17:29 Is Modern Sports Stardom Any Different Today?

24:13 Breaking Down Central Contracts & Player Income

27:08 Players Get More Exposure Than Ever

31:12 Balancing Individual Brilliance with Team Structure

34:18 How Bat Sponsorship Deals Actually Work

41:33 Resetting English Cricket

45:56 How Franchise Cricket Is Reshaping Test Player Pathways

49:32 Is County Cricket Financially Sustainable?

53:18 Why Distribution Isn’t Enough

58:20 If You Had to Choose One Sports Asset to Buy

01:00:41 How Athletes Transition Into Business Roles

01:03:28 How Captains Balance Leadership and Individual Output

01:08:00 The Ruth Strauss Foundation

01:10:16 Quick-Fire Round

On today’s show we discuss: 

Ashes Predictions and How To Win Down Under:

• The brutal realities of touring Australia. Bounce, conditions, the Kookaburra ball, and the psychological toll of playing in a “goldfish bowl.”

• Why England have won just one Test in Australia in 14 attempts, and why preparation is everything.

• The inside story of the 2010/11 Ashes triumph and what that team got right.

• The psychological battle of opening the batting, staying calm when the ball is flying past your ears, and facing the greatest to ever do it. Including Strauss’s unforgettable encounters with Shane Warne.

Running Elite Cricket & Winning a World Cup:

• What Strauss changed after England’s 2015 World Cup disaster and how it led directly to the 2019 World Cup win.

• Why he pushed for white-ball specialists, a fearless scoring philosophy, and a total cultural reset.

• Inside the tensions between formats, franchise cricket, and player availability and the challenges of managing England cricket like a true performance organisation.

The Hundred, County Cricket & the Future of the Game:

• The truth about county cricket’s finances. £40k average salaries, 450 professionals, and no sustainability.

• Why Strauss believes English cricket needs fewer teams, fewer matches, and an elite first division to compete globally.

• The insane valuations in The Hundred, why investors bought anyway, and how private capital will reshape cricket whether counties like it or not.

• What Test cricket will look like in 20 years.

A huge thank you to our amazing partners on the show: 

Stryde

Bringing sports investment opportunities to your door. Visit http://www.gostryde.com to become part of the movement!