14 Facts about Nasser Hussain: Playing with fire

Although not the most technically gifted player, Nasser Hussain has been regarded as one of the best players to be produced by England. A natural leg-spinner, Hussain is also credited as one of England’s best captains. At a time when it seemed as though England cricket was heading back to the stone ages, Hussain led an unprecedented renaissance, ensuring that the ECB, the MCC and most importantly, the England cricket team saw the light of day once more. On his 48th birthday, here are a few facts on the firepower of the England cricket team, Nasser Hussain.

1. Birth:

Nasser Hussain was born on the 28th of March 1968 in Madras, Tamil Nadu.

2. Humble beginnings:

As the case with most cricketing greats, Hussain too came from a humble background. In a weird similarity to most younger siblings, Hussain used to bowl to his older brother Mehriyar ‘Mel’ Hussain. He also was often seen fielding the odd stray ball that fell within his path of sight. The repetitive bowling carried out ensured that he would eventually become a talented leg-spinner. Born into an Anglo-Indian family, cricket was Hussain’s first love as the family visited Chepauk frequently.

3. Nickname:

Nashwan and Nass are the two most popular nicknames given to Nasser Hussain.

4. London Dreams:

Aged 8, Hussain and his family moved to London. In 2005, Hussain revealed via his autobiography that his father made the decision to make the move to London despite the comfort of Madras. He also wrote that the move to England was in order to obtain for the children the benefits of the English educational system.

5. The halls of Lilford:

Having moved to the Lilford suburb of London, Hussain literally became in-charge of the indoor cricket academy. He used to bowl to his brother for hours together, thus mastering the art of leg-spin bowling. He was picked for the Essex and England Schools sides as a leg-break bowler.

6. The Best since Brearley:

After taking over as captain of the England side in early 1999, Hussain was in-charge of perhaps the worst England side in history. A plethora of retirements too had taken its toll. However, Hussein wasn’t one to throw in the towel just yet. Taking over from Alec Stewart, he led England to four consecutive series wins in a span of just 2 years, leading the Brits to third place in the ICC Test Championships. He, therefore, became the first England skipper to achieve this remarkable feat since Mike Brearley in the 1970’s.

7. Baptism of fire:

Nasser Hussain’s best Test match innings came in the 1997 edition of the Ashes Series at home. He was included in the first Test at Edgbaston. Facing up to the likes of Glenn McGrath, Michael Kasprowicz and Shane Warne, Hussein exhibited class and character, something he hadn’t shown since his debut for England in 1989. He stitched a valuable partnership with southpaw Graham Thorpe to keep the Aussies at bay. He slammed his way to a magnificent 207 on a testing Birmingham wicket. England picked up a 9-wicket win while Hussain was awarded the man of the match.

8. More than just bat and ball:

While continuing with his cricket, he also studied Natural Sciences at the University of Durham. It was here that he belonged to the College of St Hild and St Bede. He graduated in 1989 with and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. He played himself in the 2011 Bollywood movie Patiala House, in which Akshay Kumar played the leading role.

9. The England captain conundrum:

The England management has a track record of selecting an England skipper in the strangest of circumstances and strangest of manners. He was widely expected to take over from Mike Atherton. However, the takeover fell through and Alec Stewart was handed the top job. He eventually took over in 1999, captaining England till his retirement in 2003. He has been one of the few England captains of the modern era have been so universally respected, for their cerebral qualities on the field and their straight talking off it.

10. 2003 World Cup controversy:

With security concerns looming large during the World Cup in 2003, there was a question mark whether Australia and England would travel to Harare, Zimbabwe to play their matches. While the Aussies made the trip, Hussain and his England side didn’t. He came under harsh criticism following the move and called it quits following England’s final match at Port Elizabeth.

11. A lesson on intense batting:

In the 2002 NatWest Series final against India at Lord’s, Hussein introduced the world to the theory widely known as ‘Intense batting’. He took a feeble Indian bowling attack to the cleaners en route to a clinical 115 on a wonderful batting surface at Lords. However, despite the mammoth total of 326, the Indians, courtesy of some spirited batting from Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, scampered to a 2-wicket win.

12. “Tired” of captaincy:

Hussain relinquished the one-day international captaincy, and he resigned the Test captaincy during the series against South Africa later in the summer explaining that he had “grown tired” of the role.

13. Playing with fire

Nasser Hussain’s autobiography is appropriately titled ‘Playing with Fire’. It was released in 2005.

14. ‘Most experienced lineup’:

Nasser Hussain these days has become a renowned commentator. David Lloyd has been quoted saying, “We now have the most experienced line-up ever seen in a commentary box,” said Vic Wakeling of Sky. However, his commentary has come under criticism courtesy of his sweeping statements. He was once quoted saying – “I would say the difference between the two side is the fielding. England is all-round a good fielding side. I do believe that India has few… 3 or 4 very good fielders and one or two donkeys in the field still.”