Andrew Strauss had a bad start to his day when he and his team mates were evacuated from their hotel at 5 o’clock in the morning because of a fire alarm. Unfortunately, that was just the start of a black Friday for the England captain.After days of assessing the fitness of Andrew Flintoff, Strauss and coach Andy Flower finally decided that the inspirational all-rounder could not be risked in a five-day match and it was announced that he was ruled out of the fourth Ashes test.

Strauss took part in a game of soccer on the Headingley outfield and watched in horror as wicketkeeper Matt Prior collapsed with a back spasm before retiring gingerly to the dressing-room for treatment.

Fortunately, Prior made a rapid recovery and Strauss’s day then appeared to take a turn for the better when he won the toss and chose to bat. He strode out confidently with his opening partner Alastair Cook looking to build a huge first-innings total and take charge of the match.

But having survived a huge appeal for lbw off Ben Hilfenhaus’s first delivery of the game, Strauss looked out of sorts and he lasted just 17 balls and three runs before edging Peter Siddle to Marcus North at third slip.

A rare failure in the series and Strauss returned to the dressing-room hoping to watch his team mates take responsibility but he watched in disbelief as the Australian seamers took advantage of favourable conditions to leave England in tatters at 72-6 at lunch. Suddenly it looked a very good toss to lose as Ricky Ponting would almost certainly have batted first had he won it.

Strauss watched the start of the afternoon session from the balcony outside the dressing-room and things did not improve as Graeme Swann, Steve Harmison, James Anderson and Graham Onions joined the procession. Around nine and a half hours after emerging bleary-eyed into the Leeds dawn, Strauss’s nightmare was complete.

PHOTO: England’s Andrew Strauss leaves the field after being caught for 3 during the first day of the fourth Ashes cricket test match against Australia at Headingley, August 7, 2009. REUTERS/Philip Brown