Nasser Hussain

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Born in Chennai (then Madras) in India in March 1968, Nasser Hussain was brought up in England after his family moved when he was five years old. One of his brothers, Mel, played for Worcestershire (1985) and the England Amateur side; the other, Abbas, played for Essex Second XI, and their father, Joe, played for Madras in 1966-67. Originally a leg-spinner, Nasser became the youngest-ever player to represent Essex Schools Under-11s (aged eight), and Under-15s (aged twelve).

Hussain's batting took precedence in his late teens. He made 170 for Young England in Sri Lanka in the second Test of the 1986-87 series, and was England top scorer in the Youth World Cup in Australia the following winter. He also benefitted from several winters abroad, playing club cricket in Madras in 1986-87 and Australia and South Africa during several subsequent winters. He debuted for Essex in 1987, winning his cap in 1989, the season he won the Cricket Writers' Club Award for Young Cricketer of the Year. A student of Durham University (he gained a degree in Natural Sciences) he captained the Combined Universities to the quarter-final of the Benson and Hedges Cup that year, when his century against Somerset almost won his team an historic victory.

After 990 runs in the summer of 1989 (in 15 matches) Hussain was put on standby for the Sixth Test against Australia before winning a place in the team to tour the West Indies in 1989, in what turned out to be a baptism of fire. He performed modestly on debut at Kingston, where England won, and after making 35 and 34 in the final game after breaking a wrist playing tennis, he was discarded for four years, plagued by poor form and a reputation as a difficult character; he had disputed an umpire's decision in a warm-up game in the Caribbean.

Hussain was a partner in Essex record stands for the third, fourth and fifth wickets during 1991 and 1992 as his batting at county level became more accomplished. He won a Test recall, against Australia in 1993, following seven centuries in the summer, and seemed to have secured his place with innings of 71 and 47* at Trent Bridge. But failures at Edgbaston and The Oval saw him jettisoned back to county cricket, though the Essex Player of the Year Award was some consolation. Hussain was appointed Essex vice-captain in 1996, having impressed everyone with his performance as Captain of the successful A team in Pakistan in 1995-96. His maturity and improved technique elevated him back to the Test team, and finally he found fortune. His first innings back was a stylish century against India (Edgbaston 1996), although replays suggested that he was fortunate to survive an appeal for caught behind early on. Another century, two Tests later, secured him the number three spot that England had for so long struggled to fill.

A wonderful double century against Australia at Edgbaston in 1997 helped England to take an early lead against the strongest Test team in the world, and although Australia fought back to take the series 3-2, Hussain's stature as a senior player was assured. He has a wide range of strokes, excelling in the drive and cut, to which is added a sound defence. His natural instinct is to attack, but he has great powers of concentration and makes few errors of judgement. He is also a superb fielder in any position. Appointed England vice-captain in 1998, he succeeded Alec Stewart as captain after the debacle of the 1999 World Cup. Although his tenure began with two series defeats, at home to New Zealand and then in South Africa (where he topped the batting averages with 370 Test runs at 61.66), Hussain is credited with playing a major role in the subsequent revival in England's fortunes. He also impressed with his honest and frank speaking off the field and his determination and aggression on it.

After securing a 1-0 win in the two-match series against Zimbabwe, Hussain then led England to their first home series victory over the West Indies since 1969, and the NatWest Series title. His excellent working relationship with coach Duncan Fletcher helped create a strong team spirit, and the pair were able to bring the best out of players that had previously been regarded as enigmatic, such as Caddick and White. Undoubtedly the team benefited from the new system of central contracts too, allowing the England manager to rest contracted players from county cricket at his discretion.

A still greater triumph followed in Karachi in December, when England became the first team ever to beat Pakistan at the National Stadium, winning a series there for the first time since Ted Dexter's side in 1961/2. Hussain won plaudits not just for the result, but for the dignity with which he took some controversial umpiring decisions and his handling of the side on what had had the potential to be a difficult tour; it was the Test team's first visit since the Gatting-Rana series of 1987. His own batting form had deteriorated to the extent that questions about his position became inevitable, but while England continued to improve as a unit his place was secure. His form finally returned in Sri Lanka where a century in Kandy was instrumental in England winning the Test and levelling the series. They lost the First Test, in Galle, by an innings amid myriad umpiring disputes. A victory in the final Test of the series in Colombo completed a remarkable series win; the first time England had come back from 0-1 down in a three match series since 1888.

But the summer of 2001 was a gruesome one for the England captain, both for injuries and results. Having won four series in a row, England could only draw the series against Pakistan 1-1 and were then crushed by a rampant Australia 4-1. Hussain himself was left sitting in the dressing room for much of the summer. In the First Test against Pakistan, a delivery from Shoaib Akhtar broke the skipper's thumb, leaving Alec Stewart to lead England to victory but then to defeat in the second Test at Old Trafford. Hussain missed the whole of the triangular one-day series with Australia and Pakistan.

He returned for the First Test against Australia at Edgbaston but in the second innings the little finger of his left hand was broken by a Jason Gillespie delivery. He did not return until the Fourth Test, by which time the Ashes had been lost. Despite having very little batting practice, Hussain showed great fight as he compiled innings of 46 and 55 as England won at Leeds. He also hit a half-century in the final Test at The Oval where Australia won by an innings.

Despite his continuing diabolical luck with the toss on the ensuing one-day trip to Zimbabwe (by the end of the tour he had lost 13 consecutive international tosses) England completed a 5-0 whitewash there, thanks not least to the consistency of Hussain's batting, which he maintained throughout an arduous winter. He began the Test series in India with 85 before England went down by ten wickets at Chandigarh, and he continued to lead the side imaginatively as England drew the next two Tests. Although he was criticised by some for so-called "negative tactics" at Bangalore when he instructed Ashley Giles to bowl into the footmarks outside Sachin Tendulkar's leg stump, the policy met with ultimate success, although not without cost. Tendulkar was first restrained and then stumped for the first time in his Test career, for 90.

Hussain contributed usefully to both one-day series in India and New Zealand, before playing one of his finest innings in the first Test at Christchurch. After being awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List, he made 106 on a seaming portable pitch to hold England's first innings together, indeed paving the way for ultimate victory. He then made 66 in the drawn Wellington game, but his second innings 82 at Auckland was not enough to stave off the defeat which squared the series. The last stages of England's tour were overshadowed by the tragic death of Ben Hollioake in a car accident, and Hussain flew to Perth shortly before the Auckland Test to represent his team at the memorial service. It was a desperately sad end to a gruelling winter.

Consecutive half centuries from Hussain helped England out of jail against Sri Lanka at Lord's in the first Test of the 2002 summer, and although he contributed few runs in the remainder of the series, England triumphed 2-0 with wins at Birmingham and Manchester. He bounced back in the triangular NatWest tournament, staying at number three despite media suggestions that he should drop down the order. After scoring a century in the final at Lord's (a one-day classic which India won), Hussain gesticulated wildly at the Media Centre, pointing at the number on the back of his shirt. 155 followed to set up England's win in the first Test, and he made another century in a losing cause as India levelled the series 1-1 at Headingley.