I expect my players to have fire and passion (27 June 1999)

27 June 1999

I expect my players to have fire and passion

Nasser Hussain

Shane Warne has never been viewed as one of my closest friends in cricket. We have, after all, had our fair share of battles on the field, the kind of intense clashes that I relish.

But we have always got on well and it is the memory of a conversation I had with Shane, as we were still coming to terms with our elimination from the World Cup, at Buckingham Palace when all the teams gathered there for a reception, that I will take with me into my first team talk as England captain at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

Shane told me that there were some excellent aspects to the England side, that one of our openers invariably did well, but rarely the pair together, and that the batsmen at three, four and five were very sound. He also said that our seam bowling was excellent and had always given Australia problems but that other areas of the team contributed very little, if anything. Our challenge now is to identify the right people to take us forward in those problem areas.

It is no secret that I like players with mental toughness and fire in their bellies, which I hope I have always had. I want to be able to look a young player in the eye and gain an indication as to whether he is the sort of character who could walk to the wicket in Johannesburg this winter with England at 30 for three, the Wanderers crowd baying for blood and Allan Donald at the top of his run. That is the kind of situation that sorts out the men from the boys and where we must be looking to come out on top. There is no point being able to look good with your side at 200 for three if you cannot produce the goods when the heat is on.

There is one Englishmen I would always back to excel when the chips are down - Graham Thorpe. We need more like him. I wouldn't care how Graham was playing in county cricket. I'd always want him in my side. Similarly, if you are looking for a bowler to give you 30 overs in the most testing of conditions, to expound so much energy that he would virtually be on his hands and knees with the effort of it all, then look no further back than Melbourne last Christmas when Dean Headley did just that to win us a Test match. And the virtues displayed by these two current England Test players are the ones we must all be looking to emulate in the coming months.

I will have a simple message for the team when we meet up on Tuesday to prepare to take on New Zealand. I will tell the players not to confuse the World Cup with what we are about to undertake. The personnel, to a certain extent, will have changed and people will come in who have put in some very good performances for England in recent times and were not involved in the debacle. The likes of Mark Ramprakash, Alex Tudor, Headley and Mark Butcher will all come in fresh and it will be my job to make sure there are not too many comments flying around about the need to put things right. I don't want any bad vibes in the dressing room.

Before that I will be having a meeting with The Management and our physio, Wayne Morton, at Edgbaston to make sure we all know where we are going and that the structure is right. There's been a lot of talk about the captain's powers being somehow enhanced but my understanding of what is expected of me is just a subtle change of emphasis to show that I will be the man in charge. I think England now want to go back to how it was when Graham Gooch was captain or how the Australians do it now. How many times, for instance, did you notice Geoff Marsh during the World Cup? Steve Waugh was the main man.

That's not just in front of the cameras. It's away from them too, when someone needs to say something to the players, to hand out a rollicking or hold the huddle. That man, from now on, will be me. I prefer it that way. It suits me. I've never been a person to bite my lip and I've always found it difficult not to have my say. I like to think I will be able to get people's minds right and I have no problem in taking the responsibility because the buck will stop with me. I'm happy with that and I want to be at the forefront of things.

There has been speculation about our support staff, but David Lloyd's excellent work will not go to waste. The coaches, psychologist and others will all have a role to play but it will be at the early stages of our preparation for Tests and by the Wednesday before a match the dressing room will be solely for players to begin the build-up to the big day.

We will, of course, have a new figure in the dressing room from this winter when Duncan Fletcher becomes coach. I met Duncan for the first time on Friday and was immediately impressed by him. We spoke privately for 20 minutes and what struck me was that he didn't waste time on pleasantries, as is so often the way in England. He said simply, 'Right Nasser, it's like this. I'll tell you what I think we need to do. You tell me what you think and then you'll be in charge. I want to be in the background, backing you up at all times. That's not passing the buck. That's how it should be in any team.' He then told me not to believe his press, that he's not this hard man who's obsessed with discipline and that he's just a man who knows what he wants and how to get it. Mind you, I could tell he was not a man I'd want to cross too often.

Duncan's view on body language was interesting. His first bit of advice to me was that the great captains always held their body language whatever was happening on the field. He reminded me that, in times of trouble, all the cameras will be on me, as will the eyes of all the players. If my shoulders are drooping or I'm kicking the turf, it will not do the team any good. It was a fair point.

A lot of discussion in last night's selection meeting revolved around the role of Alec Stewart - whether, if selected, he is chosen either as wicketkeeper and middle-order batsman or as an opener. After ringing my family on Thursday when I was told I was England captain, the first thing I did was contact Alec. We exchanged sympathy and congratulations and I said to him I hoped that when he looks back on this, he would understand that in no way did I betray him or work against him as vice-captain and that I had always given him my support. He said: "Don't be silly. We made our debuts together in Jamaica and we've got on well ever since then." He then told me that he would help me in any way I wanted, a gesture I appreciated.

If I could take anything from the three England captains I have played under, it would be the world-class example of Graham Gooch, Alec's immaculate preparation and presentation and the respect the players had for Mike Atherton. I'd have done anything for Athers and I know all the other lads felt the same. He was the ultimate team man and people played for him.

But if there was one person I would consider a role model as an international captain it would be Mark Taylor. I am going to try to contact him and ask him for his advice because, both on and off the field, as a leader and as a person, I think he was exemplary. I'm not saying I'm going to be the next Taylor, but if you can hold someone up as an example, he is the one.

The England captaincy is the pinnacle of cricket. I am excited and determined to do it my way. I have extremely good memories of Edgbaston, despite going out of the World Cup there. I am hugely looking forward to Edgbaston on Thursday and beyond.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)