England's positive start to their new era/dawn/horizon, certainly made everyone in the home dressing room a happy bunny on Thursday. Everyone that is, apart from Andrew Strauss.

After waving his bat outside off stump meekly for the umpteenth (and possibly last) time this series, Strauss knows that all the repair work he started against New Zealand now counts for very little. We have been here before.

The Middlesex man appears to be suffering from the same technical deficiencies that began to haunt him during the post-traumatic stress disorder that followed the Ashes series in 2006. Last summer, while the top order gorged on a hapless West Indian bowling attack, Strauss looked all at sea with his foot movement and judgement. The subsequent Indian series saw a slight improvement, but ended at the Oval with the same back foot dab that was in evidence yesterday.

Not for the first time, the opener declared his disappointment before the Test at not getting the prize of the captaincy. Frankly, he had more reason to be distressed when overlooked for the role before the tour Down Under.

If Strauss had become the chosen one now, it would have given him an authority and reassurance, regardless of form, that England had finally seen the light. Now, he must be looking nervously at his own worth in the team. Again.

Scores of 44, 27, 0, 20, 25 and 6 against his favourite opponents are not the statistics of a man happy with his lot. So lamentable was his weakness outside the off pole becoming, Strauss pared his game down to an almost no-risk policy since the 177 that saved his bacon in Napier. This was fine against the rather blunt attack of New Zealand, but has proved more problematic against the potent and disciplined Proteas attack.

It may have all been so different if he hadn't been umpired out at Lord's when looking well-set. We know from recent history that Strauss has pronounced disquiet at being on the wrong end of a few decisions, most notably when Rudi Koertzen was so trigger happy to him in Australia. More specifically, as bowlers have worked him out, his scoring shots have become a grave limitation with a strike rate in the 30s during this series. No wonder the patience is wearing a little thin.

His own loss of form can be traced back to confusion over how to handle the opening berth without Marcus Trescothick. Alastair Cook is not stodgy, but does not release the pressure in the same way as the Somerset man.

Maybe Strauss needs to listen to his new skipper and play on the kind of instinct he originally showed in 2004. Whatever he decides, he needs to free himself from the frustrated coil he has become at the crease.

Tim Ellis