England Cricket Former Captain
Nasser Hussain OBE was the first south Asian to captain the England cricket team. This pioneer was described by Wisden, the cricket bible, as “touched by genius”.
Hussain was born in Chennai, India, and it was thanks to his father, Joe (Jawad) who played for the Madras Cricket Club, that he lifted the bat.
In his autobiography Hussain revealed that his whole family would suffer if he did not perform well, and they would be denied “chocolate and curry” for dinner.
He joined Essex in 1987 and joined the national team two years later.
Hussain became England captain in 1999, and under his leadership the country climbed to number three in the world from ninth position.
Hussain is a man of principle. In 2003, the Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabe, described England as the “sworn enemy”.
This put pressure on the team to withdraw from the World Cup. When the English and West Indies Cricket Boards washed its hands of the matter, leaving the decision to the captain and team, Hussain argued against playing. The experience would scar him and cost him the captaincy.
The Indian cricket legend, Sachin Tendulkar, described Hussain as the best captain he had ever played against. Today, he is a commentator with the broadcaster, Sky.
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