Strauss still the man for Finn

Steve Finn has backed Andrew Strauss to continue as England captain despite his lack of form and feels he will soon start scoring runs.

The England five-day skipper has come under increasing pressure to keep his place in the side as he has struggled with the bat in recent times. His last Test century came in the opening match of the Ashes series Down Under and things have gone downhill ever since. The 35-year-old led England into their series against Pakistan this winter as the number one side in Test cricket but was unable to make much of a contribution with the bat as they were hammered 3-0 by the Asians in the UAE. He fared little better in Sri Lanka, although England did manage to take a share of the series with victory in the second Test as Strauss hit 61. The left-hander was looking for a solid start to the county season to try and get some runs under his belt, but he made an ordinary start against Durham, with scores of 0 and six. England paceman Graham Onions accounted for him in both innings and he will next be in action against Worcestershire on May 3 at Lord's. There have been calls for Strauss to step down as sections of the media feel, on current form, he is not worth his place in the side. But Finn disagrees and believes the South African-born batman still has the qualities necessary to lead his country and will soon prove that he is not out of form. "He is England captain for a reason," he told reporters. "He deals with these situations very well. It won't have bothered him too much that he didn't get any runs in that first match. He is not out of nick."