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Cricket World® Player Of The Week - Andrew Strauss

Tuesday 16 December 2008

©REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe (INDIA) Picture Supplied by Action Images

England opening batsman Andrew Strauss has been named as the Cricket World® Player Of The Week after he became the eighth batsman to hit two centuries in a Test match and end up on the losing side.

Strauss hit 123 and 108 in Chennai as England looked on course to record a victory over India before an unbeaten century from Sachin Tendulkar saw India register a six-wicket win.

Strauss's first innings effort helped England reach 316 before they bowled India out for 241 and his second ensured England recovered from a position of 43 for three to set India a target of 387 to win.

India managed it, but Strauss's achievement of reaching three figures twice in the match did not go unnoticed and he joins a list of players that includes Andy Flower, Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar and Herbert Sutcliffe, to have hit two centuries but not gone on to win the Test in which they achieved the feat.

Contenders for this week's award included Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Jerome Taylor for his maiden Test century in Dunedin and Paul Collingwood who also hit 108 in the second innings.

The Cricket World® Player Of The Week is judged weekly by the editorial team.