That's not what it was. Strauss realised the importance of not only trying to score runs, but demoralise the Australian fielders and bowlers in doing so.
He spotted Mitch napping, so charged down and smacked the ball straight at him. Dr. X had a double thrill - first with the sight of a batsman coming down the track, but after being clobbered, the sight of the ball heading straight to one of their best fielders.
But Mitch wasn't awake, day dreaming about he was about to find his rhythm and win Australia the Ashes, and dropped a pretty easy chance.
So not only was Spin Dr. X heart broken, losing his will to live, essentially making him a non-threat for the rest of the innings, but Mitchell Johsnon's confidence takes another hit. Can't bat, can't bowl, can't field. Indeed.
Strauss will now grind them in, and score a magnificent 300, leaving the Aussies ruefully remembering how they squandered their best chance to stop this.
Their regret and disappointment will distract them from the task of dismissing the other batsmen, letting them pile on runs too, and a brutal and demoralising day in the field will leave the Aussie batsmen's shattered physically and mentally, meaning they collapse and fold for 50 a/o in slightly under a session. Johnson will score 20 of those runs, deliberately being fed easy singles so that he is forced to stand at the non-striker's end and see the carnage.
England go 1-0 up, Johnson promptly retires from all cricket, Dr. X admitted to a mental institution after he can't stop muttering 'You dropped the Ashes Mitch, you dropped the Ashes!', and a whole new generation of Aussie cricket fans are now traumatised.
Strauss is awesome.
