Having ruled himself out of the World Twenty 20 in the West Indies at the end of this month, Strauss will play in the County Championship game against Worcestershire on Friday, and is hoping to fit in at least six first-class games before the Test series against Bangladesh starts at the end of May.
It is the first time since before he made his Test debut in 2004 that Strauss has been available for such a long period, and as well as giving him valuable match practice, it will provide an early-season boost to Middlesex as they attempt to win promotion from Division Two.
The England captain has received some criticism for opting to miss the recent tour of Bangladesh, but will now be able to ease himself into an arduous 2010 schedule that could see him play 28 games for England before the year is out, including Test and one-day series against Bangladesh and Pakistan, a one-day series against Australia, and the start of the Ashes in November.
"I've been in the nets for the last couple of weeks," Strauss said. "I'm excited about getting the season off to a good start personally, but also helping Middlesex win promotion. "I don't know exactly how much play I'll get in, but I'll certainly arrive at the first Test with plenty of cricket under my belt." Strauss said he had "issues" with the way the county game was structured, and called for a reduction in the number of games played.
"Reducing the overall volume of cricket would be helpful," he said. "The lack of preparation for games is a problem. It could also be better structured into blocks of four-day and one-day cricket." Strauss will stay in regular contact with England coach Andy Flower, and will be consulted on the course of action to take over Graeme Swann, who was arrested on suspicion of drink driving at the weekend.
However, he said the spinner's place in the side was not under threat. "Hopefully he's learnt an important lesson, but I don't think this will affect his selection for the first Test," he said. Meanwhile, Middlesex announced the signing of Australian batsman David Warner for this summer's Friends Provident Twenty20.
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