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| Wednesday, 30 July 2003 |
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'King' Hussain abdicates captaincy throne by Julian Guyer, LONDON, Tuesday (AFP) - Nasser Hussain announced his resignation as England Test captain after a four year spell in charge here on Monday. Hussain, speaking after the drawn first Test against South Africa at Edgbaston, said: "I just feel it's the right time. I felt I was a bit tired and stale. Four years is a long time in this job. "It can become very repetitive," Hussain, 35, added."I needed to see how far I could dig and I just wasn't good enough." Michael Vaughan, who replaced Hussain as England one day captain, after the World Cup when the Essex batsman retired from the shorter international game, will lead the team in the second Test at Lord's starting on Thursday. Hussain, who retains his place in what is an unchanged team, added: "I feel it is coming to a slight change in era. "I think Michael Vaughan has shown in the last few months that he is a very capable leader and that's what I have been waiting for. There are some good lads playing under him and the last thing they want is a tired leader." England's new Test skipper, who led England to one-day triumphs over Pakistan and victory in the triangular series final against South Africa earlier this season, expressed shock at the timing of Hussain's decision. "Like everyone else in the dressing room, I'm surprised by Nasser's decision to resign. "He has been a hugely inspirational captain and no-one cares more about England than him.""I had not expected the Test captaincy to come my way this summer but I feel ready for the challenge and I will be more than happy to have him (Hussain) in the dressing room alongside me as a senior player," the 28-year-old added. Meanwhile Hussain insisted he had not taken his decision lightly. "It's not the sort of job where you just take the cash and plod on and stand at mid-off."I've always felt it's the sort of job where you have to give it everything. It's time for change."After last winter the stuff that went on off the field and on the field in Australia there were a lot of difficult times," said a tearful Hussain, referring to the drawn out wrangle over whether England should play a World Cup match in Zimbabwe. Asked to explain the timing of his decision, Hussain, a veteran of 84 Tests, added: "I have been thinking about this since the end of the World Cup. "No-one then knew who the real successor was - now we have seen Vaughan." Hussain, who replaced wicket-keeper Alec Stewart as captain after England's first round World Cup exit on home soil four years ago, led England in 45 tests, winning 17, losing 15 and drawing 13. His record compares favourably with that of Peter May, England's most successful skipper, who won 20 of his 41 Tests in charge. Hussain led England to four successive Test series wins starting at home against Zimbabwe in 2000. In the same season he followed that up with England's first Test series win over the West Indies in 31 years, before leading the team to Test triumphs in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. But he was frustrated by England's inability to even compete with arch-rivals Australia, whom they have not defeated since 1986-87. Under Hussain's leadership they were thrashed 4-1 at home in 2001, although he missed two games through injury. England lost by the same scoreline in Australia in 2002-03. Nevertheless, Hussain had forged a reputation as England's best tactical skipper since Mike Brearley in the late 1970s and early 1980s. But he was guilty of a public relations blunder in the build-up to the first Test, saying there were splits in the South African camp and that the Proteas were "ripe for the taking". |
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