Hussain slams ECB jobs-for-the-boys approach

Nasser Hussain: '"It smacks of jobs for the boys, of the ECB being desperate not to rock the boat' © Getty Images Enlarge

Nasser Hussain, the former England captain turned TV commentator, has criticised the appointment of Hugh Morris and Mike Gatting as the ECB's new managing directors.

In his Daily Mail column, Hussain accused the ECB of not searching "beyond their backyard" and of indulging in a jobs-for-the-boys approach.

"As a member of the group put together under Ken Schofield's chairmanship to look into English cricket, I feel a sense of huge disappointment," Hussain wrote. "It smacks of jobs for the boys, of the ECB being desperate not to rock the boat nor bring in anyone who might question how they do things. They just want to retain the status quo.

"It was not our brief to find the right people, merely to put down guidelines. But I saw this as a fantastic opportunity for our game to bring in new people with exciting ideas.

"Maybe the right type of people did not apply, but were enough efforts made to find the right people? Did a head-hunter seek out the very best talent before reaching the conclusion that Morris and Gatting were the best way forward? I would like an explanation.

Mark Ramprakash would have been ideal in this job ... he is also young enough to be in touch with how the game is evolving

Hussain warned that England need someone who will do his job rather than be preoccupied with not losing it. He also said that Gatting and Morris were from a different generation to the current players and that the ECB would have better advised to go with someone younger.

"Mark Ramprakash would have been ideal in this job," he said. "I know that he still has ambitions to reach a hundred centuries and maybe even play for England again. But he is someone who knows all about the domestic and international games and the difficulty in bridging the gap between one and the other. He is also young enough to be in touch with how the game is evolving."

And Hussain concluded with a warning about another area covered by the Schofield Report. "One opportunity appears to have been wasted ... will the next one, a chance to reinvigorate selection, go the same way?"