The skipper is struggling. It is not that Andrew Strauss is not scoring any runs; it is just that he is not scoring enough runs. He is getting in, then getting out.Just consider his last five Test innings: 32, 56, 26, 26 and now 27. He is clearly as good a starter as calamari, but his main courses are not leaving him or his team anywhere full enough.Strauss has now gone 24 innings since his last Test century, against Australia in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane in November 2010. And before then his previous hundred was also against Australia, but at Lord's in July 2009. That's 48 Test innings with just one century. It's a disappointing return for one of England's finest players; a batsman with 19 Test centuries to his name. Only Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey, Geoffrey Boycott, Ken Barrington and Graham Gooch have more. And the most is 22.But during those 48 innings Strauss has actually averaged nearly 33. It is hardly a train crash of a statistic. He is also captain, remember. His contributions must be measured on much more than just runs. We are not talking of a Mike Brearley scenario here. Strauss is a genuine all-rounder.And he has not captained too badly in this Test. Ever the diplomatic statesman he was quick to diffuse the situation when Stuart Broad caught and bowled Prasanna Jayawardene to end the Sri Lankan innings for 167. Or so England thought, as it was revealed Broad had bowled a huge no ball. After taking the catch, Broad had flippantly thrown down the stumps with Jayawardene out of his ground. There was a suggestion England were appealing. Strauss was having none of it.His opposite number Mahela Jayawardene may have tried the funkier field placings in this match, particularly his use of deep short legs and men positioned on the 'drive', but Strauss has been sharp in his judgments. It has hardly been his fault that his team have been so sloppy at times, most notably Broad's no-ball, Monty Panesar's dropped catches on the first day and some slack fielding from Ian Bell and Samit Patel late on yesterday.Strauss is 35 years old, and impressively self-aware. He will sense the problems. He will know that Alastair Cook, increasingly impressive as the one-day captain, waits capably in the wings.He would never want to outstay his welcome. It is the fear of any right-minded professional sportsperson. And Strauss is a team man to the core. That insistence has been at the heart of England's renaissance under him and Andy Flower since the fateful day when England were dismissed for just 51 in Jamaica in 2009.But in my opinion it is too soon for change. It was only a few months ago that Strauss, to much adulation, was receiving the BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year award. It is worth recalling that. England are still ranked No 1 in the world. It was no fluke.Strauss still has much to give, and the Ashes in 2013 should not be a pipe dream. Neither should be his 100th Test appearance, which should come in the last Test of next summer, against South Africa at Lord's, where it all began for him so successfully against New Zealand in 2004 (with scores of 112 & 83).And so Strauss will be desperate to make the score that silences any speculation. It looked imminent again yesterday as England embarked on their chase of 340. Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Chanaka Welegedera and Suranga Lakmal bowled poorly, feeding his cut shots and those of Cook too. Strauss looked confident. Against the seamers he only looked in trouble once, when trying to cut a Welegedera ball that was far too close for the stroke. The resultant inside edge very nearly hit the stumps on its way down to fine leg for a single.But the real trial had not begun. So for only the seventh over of the innings came the inevitably early introduction of the left-arm spin of Rangana Herath. Strauss had succumbed lbw sweeping to Herath in the first innings, but he was anxious to continue the positive vein as he danced down the pitch to the second ball of the over to drive to mid on and pinch a quick single. It actually became more than that when Suraj Randiv fumbled; three runs in fact.Cook went, caught behind off Herath after a review. But Strauss continued his positivity against Herath. A sweep shot was nailed to the square leg boundary. The very next ball another attempt was missed completely. It is a valid shot for a left-hander against a left-armer turning the ball out of the rough.When coming down the pitch, however, Strauss had kept the ball on the floor. Now, on 27, he decided it was time to go aerial between mid on and mid wicket. Jayawardene had done the same thing to Graeme Swann in his first over on the first day.The problem was that Strauss got too close to the ball. He could not summon sufficient elevation, so that the ball skimmed flat. In fairness Tillakaratne Dilshan took a marvellous catch. It looked horrible. But then most dismissals do. Strauss looked broken. But then most dismissed batsmen do.Strauss must relax in the next Test in Colombo. He is simply trying too hard.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING