Nasser Hussain slaps former teammate Mark Butcher's head in commentary box

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has been the focal point of the commentator box, especially during England games. Hussain, during the fourth Ashes Test, slapped his former teammate and co-commentator Mark Butcher as he was criticising Hussain's captaincy decision during England’s 2002 tour of Australia. 

The context of the incident is that Butcher criticised Nasser’s decision to bowl first at the Gabba in Brisbane during the 2002 tour. It is pertinent to mention that Gabba is considered a fortress of Australia. So during that tour, Hussain was leading the side. The former English opener was not convinced by the decision, especially with the bounce on offer on that pitch.

However, in the 2002 Ashes, the England team toured Australia for the five-match series, eventually getting hammered 4-1. While the Test mentioned by Butcher was the first official game of the tour, and the English skipper won the toss and elected to bowl first, later, it became one of the costliest decisions as the Aussie batters took advantage of drop catches posted 492 runs in the first innings. Eventually, the Steve Waugh-led side won the game by 384 runs and gained momentum at the start of the series. 

Nasser Hussain slapped his co-commentator in a hilarious manner- 

Butcher was mentioning the incident, as can be seen in the video shared by Sky Sports. Nasser Hussain, who is also part of the commentary, came when he heard this conversation and slapped his former teammate on the head. Even Ricky Ponting, who was present in the commentary box, couldn’t control his laughter. 

Speaking of Ashes 2023, Pat Cummins-led Australia is leading the five-game series by 2-1, although the English side won the last Test at Headingley. To win this series, the Ben Stokes-led side has to win the remaining two matches.