Strauss warning after wining Pakistan series
Andrew Strauss finished the NatWest Series with a word of warning that lessons must be learned from the crises of the past three weeks.
Strauss was indebted to Eoin Morgan's unbeaten 107 - at the Rose Bowl, where the Irishman made a match-winning 103 not out against Australia three months ago - as England beat Pakistan by 121 runs to close out a 3-2 win.
"It's been a very tough series at the end of a long summer," said Strauss.
"We've been to some pretty unpleasant places as a team over the last few days, and we've had to show a lot of unity and togetherness.
"We came out today determined to finish the series on a high, and you could see how much it meant to us when the final wicket went down."
"This summer has clearly demonstrated that when there's a sniff of something in the air, it devalues the game - and no-one wants to play cricket in those circumstances," he added.
"Players from both sides have been put under a lot of stress and pressure.
"We don't want to be doing that, and we shouldn't be doing that."
"The ICC have to take a firm lead, leave no stone unturned - and they need to make sure that every game of cricket from now on is not tarnished.
"That's a big challenge for them, no doubt.
"But it's easy to say 'the series is over, let's let this calm down and cricket will return to normal'.
"If that happens then we'll be having to contend with this at some stage in the future."
"It's been a crazy series and one that we hope will never be repeated again," said Strauss.
"We're delighted to have come out and won it.
"I think we've had to dig pretty deep at times (this summer), never more so than this series - which is one of the hardest I've ever had to play in."
Strauss, who was named Player of the Series after scoring 317 runs, believes the controversy could steel his side for this winter's Ashes.
"We can't wait. This summer has prepared us well for that," he said.
"We've had to deal with a lot - and we'll have to do that in Australia."
Strauss' opposite number Shahid Afridi was naturally disappointed with tonight's landslide defeat, but admitted he is relieved too his team's three-month tour is over at last.
"I was thinking about some happy ending - but it's not happened," he said.
"Every day there has been some controversies on this tour, but I'm very happy in this situation that the team was very united and we played as a team.
"Maybe it will give us a good result in the future. Our unity is the one positive thing I am taking from the UK."
"We are clean - the people who are not clean and who are guilty and take the pressures.
"Our team today was very united and played positive and hard cricket."
Strauss was indebted to Eoin Morgan's unbeaten 107 - at the Rose Bowl, where the Irishman made a match-winning 103 not out against Australia three months ago - as England beat Pakistan by 121 runs to close out a 3-2 win.
"It's been a very tough series at the end of a long summer," said Strauss.
"We've been to some pretty unpleasant places as a team over the last few days, and we've had to show a lot of unity and togetherness.
"We came out today determined to finish the series on a high, and you could see how much it meant to us when the final wicket went down."
"This summer has clearly demonstrated that when there's a sniff of something in the air, it devalues the game - and no-one wants to play cricket in those circumstances," he added.
"Players from both sides have been put under a lot of stress and pressure.
"We don't want to be doing that, and we shouldn't be doing that."
"The ICC have to take a firm lead, leave no stone unturned - and they need to make sure that every game of cricket from now on is not tarnished.
"That's a big challenge for them, no doubt.
"But it's easy to say 'the series is over, let's let this calm down and cricket will return to normal'.
"If that happens then we'll be having to contend with this at some stage in the future."
"It's been a crazy series and one that we hope will never be repeated again," said Strauss.
"We're delighted to have come out and won it.
"I think we've had to dig pretty deep at times (this summer), never more so than this series - which is one of the hardest I've ever had to play in."
Strauss, who was named Player of the Series after scoring 317 runs, believes the controversy could steel his side for this winter's Ashes.
"We can't wait. This summer has prepared us well for that," he said.
"We've had to deal with a lot - and we'll have to do that in Australia."
Strauss' opposite number Shahid Afridi was naturally disappointed with tonight's landslide defeat, but admitted he is relieved too his team's three-month tour is over at last.
"I was thinking about some happy ending - but it's not happened," he said.
"Every day there has been some controversies on this tour, but I'm very happy in this situation that the team was very united and we played as a team.
"Maybe it will give us a good result in the future. Our unity is the one positive thing I am taking from the UK."
"We are clean - the people who are not clean and who are guilty and take the pressures.
"Our team today was very united and played positive and hard cricket."
