Hussain spoke about some of the key decisions that the England and Wales Cricket Board needed to take to get their domestic cricket back to the top.
England’s struggles in the longer format of the game in recent has been well documented. The embarrassing 4-0 defeat in the Ashes against Australia has turned out to be the final nail in the coffin for their ex-coach Chris Silverwood, who has been relieved of his duties recently.
Several candidates have been rumoured to be on the shortlist, with Gary Kirsten being a prominent name doing the rounds. There is also the sensational report that Justin Langer, who has left his role as Australian head coach, could, in fact, be England’s next boss. There were also those who were of the opinion that Joe Root must also be relieved of his duties as captain after an extended period of poor results.
Nasser Hussain is one such person who felt that Root was lucky to escape the guillotine, especially after Ashley Giles and Graham Thorpe were both relieved of their duties in the ECB. Interim manager Andrew Strauss made it clear that Root would remain captain of the Test side for the upcoming Test series against the Windies.
Hussain was slightly critical of the decision, feeling that some of Chris Silverwood’s mistakes were also things that Root should have been accountable for.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Hussain said:
“I think Joe Root’s a pretty lucky lad, to be honest, and as much as all the mistakes Silverwood made, are the same mistakes pretty much that Joe Root is accountable for. Whether it be the toss at Brisbane, the selection throughout the Ashes tour and various other things.”
Hussain feels that there is still a long way to go for the board, in terms of the decisions that must be made. With Strauss handling the responsibility on a short-term basis, the Three Lions are on the lookout for a new coach.
Ponting, Langer, and World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten are all among potential candidates to succeed Silverwood at the helm of the England side. Hussain also advocated the appointment of a new technical director, saying:
“Root is a fantastic guy, a fantastic player, the most successful captain we’ve ever had, and maybe Andrew Strauss again has been that calm, sensible head thinking let’s just delay the decision on Root because you don’t know the next coach coming in, not the interim, the next director of cricket and coach might want to go in a different direction.”
Hussain concluded by saying that while the exits are a step in the right direction, the job is not yet over for the ECB, which needs to course-correct in order to revive the English side, especially in Test matches.
