Nasser Hussain - Sharp, straight and to the point - Part 1 - Opinion ...

Nasser Hussain - Sharp, straight and to the point - Part 1 - Opinion

Since his retirement in 2004, Nasser Hussain of England had established himself as one of the most successful captains that the Poms had ever had in their history since Mike Brearley. His tenacious approach, and gutsy demeanor helped England stage a fight back in Test cricket after they were lost in the wilderness for the most part of the late 1990s. Unconvincing performances at home which included Ashes defeats, teams such as New Zealand coming up with upsets and a plethora of issues, such as injuries, was when Nasser Hussain was handed captaincy at a tender age. It was a decision that transformed a team which looked hapless, crippled and lacking intent, into an outfit that looked more confident, assured and craving for victory. Fittingly, he scored a century on the hallow turf of Lord's against New Zealand in his final game and won a memorable match for his team which was chasing 282 in the final innings. He roared out of the scene shortly after, with a blue print that is etched into cricket folklore. A great, had truly retired.

Since his retirement, Hussain became a Sky Sports commentator and it is fair to say that the Sky sports team is pleased to have him. He is nicknamed ?Nass? by his comrades such as Ian Botham, and since his inclusion, Hussain has become one of the most prudent, sensible and dryly humorous commentators that the world and the game of cricket has ever seen. His analysis about proceedings is almost always up to the mark and he seldom hesitates, while making any controversial remarks. Hussain, like Michael Holding of Jamaica, possesses an acute cricket sense and staunchly believes in being vociferous and vehement in his criticism of teams from time to time. Yet, the man is more than just a rational critique. He is a complete commentator, who hints at logical conclusions which are drawn from an array of different facts, historical knowledge and on ground realities, which concerns him, his team and international cricket as a whole.

Hussain?s tweak however is admirable to say the least. His presence in the commentary box almost gives a renewed vibe to English cricket, which is the ideal combination for David Gower?s smooth, erudite comments on air. He believes in understanding the game to the very core, and unlike many of his contemporaries, he shuns away from praising his team unnecessarily. A prime example was when England was blown over by South Africa in the Investec Test Series of 2012, where the victor would be crowned as the best side in Test cricket. England had succumbed to a 2-0 loss at the hands of the Proteas and Hussain was vocally critical of England?s performance on that tour, where he readily admitted that the Poms were truly outclassed by a better team, which oozed class and passion.

He is also known for his impartiality with regard to other teams, and would refrain from belittling any side that plays quality cricket. Hussain is known to burst into enthusiasm, whenever he sees teams like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and even Australia, playing well. The harshest of Hussain?s critics might hint at his South Asian background as one of the reasons for his impartiality, but the truth is that he is English in the truest essence of the word. Hussain had migrated to England from Madras in India, and played cricket for a country that he not only adopted but endorsed with his soul and mind. Yet unlike other players in his generation, Hussain did not need to work hard to establish himself as an Englishman, in contrast to say Kevin Pietersen, who had to bear the brunt of considerable scrutiny when he entered the English set up domestically, after he shunned away the controversial quota system in South Africa.?

Continued in Part 2...

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Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Nasser-Hussain-Sharp,-straight-and-to-the-point-Part-1-Opinion-a191161

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