Andrew Strauss revealed his disappointment at being overlooked as captain for the England Test side but pledged total support to new skipper Kevin Pietersen.Strauss had a previous spell in the role, leading the side five times at Test level and chalking up three wins, when Michael Vaughan was recovering from his well-documented knee problems.
But the selectors have gone down the route of appointing a single skipper for the five-day and limited-overs versions of the game after Vaughan and one-day captain Paul Collingwood announced they were stepping down from their respective positions.
That effectively ruled out Strauss and paved the way for Pietersen.
"The selectors had a decision to make. They spoke long and hard yesterday about which direction they wanted to go in," Strauss said.
"If they wanted a captain for all three formats including Twenty20, the list would have been short.
"I'm not involved in two of the formats and Alastair Cook hasn't been in the Twenty20 side recently.
"I would have liked to have done the Test job and, to that degree, I am disappointed I have not been given the opportunity.
"I enjoyed it when I had a go a couple of years ago. But the selectors have opted to go another way and you've got to take that on the chin."
Strauss added: "What is important is that we all get behind Kevin and give 100 percent support because, if you don't have the players behind you, that is a very tough starting position.
"By making one captain in all forms, it looks like the selectors are trying to consolidate and will give someone a good run at leading the side.
"It is important the players get stuck in and improve on our performances. We haven't been quite where we want to be as a team in the last few months."
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