A fighter who regained a nation's pride

After Nasser Hussain confirmed what most suspected yesterday at Lord's, the columns of press waiting to be unleashed for the big moment came flooding out today, with most of the journalists not holding back in their tributes.

In The Times, Christopher Martin-Jenkins was all praise for Hussain, and highlighted that lasting image of the final century at Lord's on Monday. "That is the sort of memory that anyone would want to leave: of a man who dug his country out of a hole." CMJ then even compared Hussain to past world leaders, due to his fighting qualities. "In his finest hours, if it is not to imbue him with too much glory, there could be something Churchillian about Hussain's defiance. He certainly played better when he felt he was engaged more in a war than a game of cricket. He guarded his wicket as if with a tiger's snarl and placed his scoring shots shrewdly."

But what of those who played with him during Hussain's 14 years with England? Marcus Trescothick, who captained Hussain in his last Test, shared his thoughts with The Daily Telegraph. "The announcement did not come as a surprise because Nasser had hinted at Lord's that he was considering retiring," wrote Trescothick, who also shed some light on Hussain's sometimes complex character. "Nasser has been labelled as selfish by some throughout his career, but I think that he's a person that is easily misunderstood. Yes, he is a strong character, but when you do get to know him you soon appreciate that he cares deeply about his cricket and about England doing well. He's always been quick to grasp what is best for the country, which would have been one of the major factors in his decision to retire."

A former England team-mate, Angus Fraser, concentrated on Hussain's less caring side. Writing in The Independent, Fraser said, "Hussain's desire to be successful was obsessional. If he was out cheaply he was inconsolable. If he was on the wrong end of a poor umpiring decision it was time to leave the dressing-room. Bats, gloves, helmets, they would all fly across the room along with a tirade of expletives. If the third umpire had had a microphone in England's dressing-room Hussain would probably have spent half of his career banned."

He continued: "On one occasion in Trinidad it was a wooden slatted locker door which felt the brunt of his frustration. I was padding up when he screamed and put his fist through it. The problem was that his fist became stuck and he had to call for help to get it out. Five minutes passed before his hand was carefully removed and even he had seen the funny side."

Mike Walters in The Mirror was another one to give Hussain the grand send off: "Not since Mike Brearley and Ian Botham's heyday has one man left his fingerprints over so many memorable victories," he stated. "From dancing in the dark under the Ramadan moonlight in Karachi to the winning cover-drive against New Zealand at Lord's on Monday, Hussain lifted English cricket by its bootstraps and regained a nation's pride."

Those words were echoed by CMJ. "His great legacy to England was to accept the reality that Test cricket, as developed primarily by the Australians under Allan Border, his former Essex team-mate, is an utterly uncompromising game. From the moment that he started his association with Duncan Fletcher in South Africa late in 1999, Hussain sought cricketers of character who were prepared to work hard and play the game in his own gritty way."

As Michael Henderson put it in The Times, "He served the cause, in good times and bad, and deserves our gratitude."

However, Charles Sale cast a disapproving eye on Hussain's future. Sale, the Daily Mail's Sports Diarist, who was also the first to hint at Tim Lamb's retirement, lamented the fact that Hussain had been snapped up to join Sky Sports. "Hussain's seamless transition ... means the continuation of a ridiculous commentary box cartel," he said, with both Sky and Channel Four only employing former players to cover the matches. Sale said, "Recent painful interviews on both channels involving the Zimbabwe issue showed up just why some career broadcast journalists should be employed to balance the celebrity-fest." It seems Hussain already has some critics in his new life.