The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Emotional Hussain calls it a day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 28, 2004

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Emotional Hussain calls it a day

By Ted Corbett

LONDON, MAY 27. After 72 hours spent consulting his family since his Test-winning 103 against New Zealand this week, Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, brought his long international career to an end today.

His decision came only 90 minutes after Tim Lamb, Chief Executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, stepped down following criticism of his handling of the Zimbabwe tour problems.

Both decisions had been widely forecast. Lamb said that after eight years as the first chief executive of the ECB he felt it was time for someone else to take over; Hussain said it was time to give younger players a chance but admitted that his age was beginning to catch up with him. Of course he was emotional; Nasser always is. At times he was close to tears as he realised what he was doing.

"I don't want to be picked just because I am close to 100 Tests. I can fight the critics but I cannot fight against Andrew Strauss who decided to get a lot of runs. There are a few out there now who warrant selection. Monday was an incredible day. A lot of good things happened to me. Graham Thorpe a big, big pal was with me and a shot through the covers, my favourite shot won the match for England and then there was the walk through the Long Room with members clapping. It was a big reward for me and clarified my thoughts that this was the time to go," he said.

Hussain was born in Chennai to Joe Hussain who played for Madras in the Ranji Trophy in 1966-67 and who now runs a cricket school in East London, first came to prominence while he was at Durham University although he had made his Essex debut two years earlier. In 1989 he made 118 when Combined Universities under the captaincy of Michael Atherton almost defeated Somerset in the Benson and Hedges Cup. That year Hussain was Young Cricketer of the Year and on tour with England in West Indies where the public saw for the first time the fiery nature which has driven him through his career.

In a warm-up game he refused to leave the crease despite being given out and the captain Richie Richardson told him to bat on. When Hussain was out a few balls later his England captain Graham Gooch walked him round the ground in an open demonstration of his annoyance. Privately he was also telling Hussain that he must never lose his aggression.

Hussain made his Test debut — alongside Alec Stewart — in that West Indies series and since then he has played 96 Tests, scored 5764 runs at 37.19 with a highest score of 207 against Australia in 1997 when a listless Shane Warne made England believe it could win back the Ashes.

Long before the end of that series that illusion was shattered as it has been repeatedly shattered since 1989. He was given the captaincy when Stewart went after the 1999 World Cup and won 36.04 per cent of his matches — 71 out of 45. Only Atherton with 54 Tests as captain has led an England team more often.

His biggest disappointments were unquestionably the Ashes defeats of 2001 and 2002-3, but his partnership with Duncan Fletcher began the rise and rise of England in the last five years. Assertive Hussain might have been as a batsman; as a captain he was so aggressive that it was difficult to know whether he frightened the opposition more than his own players. He never gave an inch in confrontation with the Australians, but if one of his own men erred he lost no time in letting them know.

Hussain was also quick to praise. When James Anderson was 20 and winning stars in Australia each success was rewarded with a scream of delight from Hussain: "You are the man!"

I'll miss him because I admired the whole-hearted way he behaved on and off the field. His Press conferences were never less than interesting; a bonus after five years of one word answers from Atherton. He has never been easy company but that is common in sport and I would have it no other way.

Now I guess he is going to be one of my companions in the Press Box and next door in the television area; while he watches the next generation whose development he has generously helped by stepping to one side.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport