No side to a captain with necessary edge (1 July 1999)

1 July 1999

No side to a captain with necessary edge

Simon Hughes

The new England captain may be the messiest cricketer in the team, but he has the tidiest mind. Nasser Hussain's kit is usually strewn everywhere in the dressing room, socks scattered here, shirts there, but his attitude is neat and ordered and his message is clear: "I expect my players to have fire and passion," he says. Nasser Hussain is a scrapper with attitude.

We have heard this kind of call-to-arms rhetoric from other new captains, of course, only for it to then degenerate into a whimpering apology after a string of defeats. Since Mike Gatting's side clinched the Ashes 12 years ago, England have won only 26 of the 125 Tests played, with seven different captains. It is a woeful record. If anyone can improve it, Hussain can. His appointment, a year overdue, could be the best thing that's happened to English cricket for a decade.

He is not necessarily the purist's cup of tea. He is no diplomat or brigadier. He never attended charm school. But what England need now is action not oratory. Both on and off the field, Hussain exudes bristling aggression. Jabbing his bat pugnaciously at the crease, broadcasting pithy advice from gully, making disparaging remarks about your dress sense in the hotel lobby, Hussain is belligerent and opinionated and in your face. In a way, he missed his vocation. He should have been a fast bowler.

But unless he gets a dodgy decision, he is not enveloped by the red mist like the neanderthal pacemen. Hussain's aggression is controlled and allied to reason. He knows when to stir the pot. There is an element of Steve Waugh's cussed bloody-mindedness in his make-up, guaranteed to rile opponents. He is well aware that a riled opponent is ripe for plucking.

Hussain's detractors have always argued that his feistiness, allied to a supposedly selfish nature, would make him a poor captain. This is such blinkered logic. To win Test matches in the modern game, you need an 'edge'. The captain fosters it with a cold stare or a frosty remark or a chilly disposition. Sometimes a private dressing down is necessary. For maximum effect, he must retain a slight distance from his colleagues.

The best captains are not always the most popular people in the team. Contrary to his benign appearance, Mike Brearley had this edge. Team-mates and opponents could taste it. Mark Taylor had it too.

Hussain is similarly imbued. On the England A tour he led to Pakistan three years ago he commanded complete respect from all the players on both sides. He was harsh but fair, relaxed but disciplined, cheerful but punchy. He cares about the game and appreciates it, but knows the value of ruthlessness. There was an astringent element to his leadership, which was both admirable and slightly daunting. It was certainly effective. The team went through the tour unbeaten.

It is true he is a selfish player. But find me a successful international cricketer who isn't. Without a degree of selfishness, you won't make it to the top. It is one of the laws of the sporting jungle. Hussain is no more or less selfish than Alec Stewart or Graham Thorpe or any other England batsman. He does spend inordinate amounts of time practising, but he is honest enough to admit it is a necessity.

He has put people's back up. Sometimes large, influential backs. During his first season on the county circuit 10 years ago, he nicked a ball from me to the wicketkeeper before he had scored. The edge was so clear it would have sent Channel 4's 'snickometer' off the scale. Hussain adopted a mock-innocent stance and leant on his bat. The umpire eventually sent him on his way, accompanied by a justifiable volley of abuse from Gatting at slip.

Hussain has missed few opportunities to return the favour, and though there is now mutual respect, neither would be on the other's Christmas card list. Essentially, his confrontational nature has delayed his ascension to the Essex and England captaincy. There, in microcosm, lies one of the flaws of the English game.

The glint in his eye remains, but time has mellowed him somewhat. He accepts life's vicissitudes better, can laugh at himself, has discovered sympathy. He is more open-minded, canvassing opinion, playing devil's advocate. He is keen to learn, and is seeking advice on the art of captaincy from Taylor. He spoke encouragingly to Dominic Cork when Cork rang Hussain's mobile on Saturday to tell him he was swinging the ball again.

As a batsman, Nasser Hussain is a hybrid of Graham Gooch and Keith Fletcher. He has welded Gooch's courage, authority and dedication to Fletcher's intuition, canny nature and bat speed. You could call him Flooch or Gletch. But as a leader he will find his own level. At the moment he has a good mix of ambition, directness and urbanity and he will improve with experience.

Give him time, and hope that in the depths of his chaotic bag, he can find that lucky coin.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph