Ed Joyve's decision on whether he stays or leaves Middlesex could prove pivotal to the tenants of Lord's.

The man who led the Crusaders to their first trophy for 15 years while standing in for the injured Ed Smith, surrendered the captaincy last month amid continued questions over his own future with the club.

The official reason given for putting down the reins was to recover his batting form. But two weeks on and with still no ink on his new contract, fans could be excused for thinking the former England International was buying breathing space to weigh up his options.

The silence on the future of the county's leading run-scorer this season, still past 1,000 runs despite his felt need to recover his form, is becoming deafening.

Joyce has long expressed his desire to be a captain, so his decision to stand down just as Smith was told he wouldn't be returning to the captaincy, injury or not, is baffling.

The Irish-born left-hander is the obvious choice of successor to Smith as one of very few senior players not currently being summoned for England duty.

Plus, he now has a trophy on his resumé to prove he's up to the job.

On that basis he surely only has to tip the wink to the Middlesex committee he wants to stay and the mantle would be his, unless there's something missing somewhere.

Is there an offer on his table to captain somewhere else - from the other side of the Thames perhaps?

But why would that be more attractive than staying at the home of cricket.

Has he been worn down by the responsibility of batting for most of the season with four 20-somethings?

But isn't that part of what the captaincy he supposedly craves is about?

Clearly the issue of breathing space to recover his batting form isn't a line that can work for ever.

His 64 innings in defeat to Sussex last Thursday, and 99 in victory against Worcester at Kidderminster on Sunday, suggest the run machine is back on track.

The finger injury which kept him out of this week's Championship match against Worcester may keep him out of the heat a little longer, while the club have taken the line that a long-term decision on the captain for 2009 needs to await the appointment of the new director of cricket.

However, if after all Joyce decides to leave through the Grace gates and stand-in skip-per Shaun Udal isn't seen as a permanent replacement, action must be taken sooner rather than later.

Giving the captaincy back to Andrew Strauss is surely not an option, good candidate though he is, while the other senior batsman Owais Shah will also be absent for much of the time on England duties.