Nasser Hussain
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Source: [1], 24 December 2004 |
Nasser Hussain (born March 28 1968, Madras (now Chennai)) is a former Essex and England cricketer. He was born of an Indian father, Jawad (also known as "Joe"), and an English mother, Shireen, who changed her name on conversion to Islam. He became the first captain of England to be of mixed ethnicity.
Hussain was the captain of the England team for 45 Test matches, from 1999 to 2003, more than any other player other than Michael Atherton. Hussain is also third in the list of Test victories for England captains, with 17, behind only Peter May (20) and Mike Brearley (18). His percentage of Tests won was higher than any of the previous five captains, since David Gower.
A stylish batsman and an outstanding fielder, Hussain was also known for a tendency to injure his fingers (which led to the nickname 'Poppadom Hands') and an unfortunate ability to lose the toss. His best Test performances came when he was when under pressure: 9 of his 14 Test centuries came in innings where England had lost early wickets. In first-class cricket, he scored 20,698 runs in 334 matches at an average of 42.06.
Hussain became Test captain when English cricket was at a low point, and his first series in charge saw England lose to New Zealand at home, after which he was booed by the England fans. However, in 2000 he led England to a 3-1 victory over the West Indies at home, and that winter the England team beat both Pakistan and Sri Lanka away, confirming Hussain's position as captain.
Hussain was captain of both the Test and One Day International England teams until after the Cricket World Cup in 2003, when England failed to make the second round after boycotting the match against Zimbabwe in Harare, citing security concerns.
In 2003, Hussain announced his retirement as Test captain after England had narrowly clung on for a draw in the first Test against South Africa, being replaced as captain by Michael Vaughan. Hussain continued as a batsman in the England Test team until May 2004, when, after scoring a century and the winning runs in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's, Hussain announced his immediate retirement from international and first-class cricket on May 27, 2004.
His father, Jawad 'Joe' Hussain, and brother, Mehriyar Hussain, have both played first-class cricket, for Madras and Worcestershire respectively.
A mathematics graduate of the University of Durham, he has recently taken up a career as a television commentator.