Andrew for Mayor

When a disaster happens, most people fall apart.

People panic, the scuttle, they let moment get to them, and they need someone to step up.

If you are lucky, smart, and quick to adapt you can make the most of it.

Like Rudy Guilianni.

Before September XI he was an uptight prude who wanted to clean New York of all its beautiful depravities.

Comedians mocked him.

Documentary makers mocked him.

And he was the butt of many a New Yorkers cutting witticisms.

Now look at him, New Yorkers praise him like Babe Ruth, he was popular enough to run for President (however badly), talk shows added him to their roster and he has even had a cameo in a Adam Sandler film.

All of this brings us to Andrew Strauss.

Before the Mumbai attacks, and the KP attacks, he was a opening batsmen who had just regained his place in the team, and the average cricket fan thought very little about him.

He started with a bang, proboted about in the middle, disappeared, and then had made a few good starts upon his return.

He was practically no ones favourite cricketer.

Then Mumbai happens, and he stands up and says we must go back for the good of the game, and people go, look at this fella he certainly has some balls on him.

Then when he gets there, he makes one of the most powerful statements with a cricket bat I have ever seen, and I have never been a huge Strauss fan.

You have to respect him for making two centuries in that match, it was a brilliant effort.

Then the KP attacks start, and England duck for cover and pick their most sensinble option as captain.

Now Strauss is the main man of English cricket, a job he probably thinks he should have had years ago, and he is man handling the media with aplomb.

He is talking up KP, he is making all the right noises about the players having to look after their selves, and the nonsense of the English Press does not seem to even effect him.

Sure he hasn’t captained yet.

You know, on the field like, and there is still a chance he will be rubbish at it, but no one has made a better grasp at two shit house situations than him.

In my eyes, he went from a proboting lifeless opener, to someone I can respect.

Strauss was never the butt of my jokes, mostly because I ignored him, but I will ignore him no more.

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