English cricket hit by double loss
LONDON, England -- English cricket was shaken up on and off the field on Thursday as former national team captain Nasser Hussain retired from the sport and Tim Lamb quit as chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Hussain, 36, scored a match-winning century in England's first test win over New Zealand three days ago -- ending his 96-test career with an average of 37.18 runs.
"Age has been catching up on me a little bit -- the body, the mind, the fire in the stomach and the eyes a little bit have started to deteriorate," Hussain told a press conference.
Despite his century, Hussain was also responsible for an incident that resulted in England's man of the match Andrew Strauss being run out just as he seemed set to score a century in both innings of his test debut.
"It has been a major decision for me and not one that I have taken lightly, nor have I taken it in the last few days," added Hussain.
"It is a gradual thing that has happened over months. I wasn't willing to fight against youth -- I mean youth in the form of Andrew Strauss."
Steadily improving
As England captain from 1999 to 2003 Hussain guided a steadily improving side to series wins over the West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, lifting them from last place in the test rankings to third in the world.
He quit as test captain after drawing the first match of last year's series against South Africa, with Michael Vaughan taking on the captain's responsibilities.
Hussain was less assured as one-day captain and quit after England's early exit from the 2003 World Cup -- a tournament soured by his side's decision not to play in Zimbabwe because of security concerns.
Lamb, who had served the ECB since its inception in 1997, said he had taken English cricket as far as he could.
"Sometimes, if you're not careful, the job can almost take over your life completely, and inevitably there have been sacrifices that have needed to be made from both a personal and a family point of view," said Lamb, who will step down as chief executive in September.
"I still feel that I have plenty of offer, but I think now is the time to stand aside before I risk losing any of my motivation or enthusiasm."
English cricket authorities have recently been embroiled in a row with the International Cricket Council and the British government over whether a proposed tour to Zimbabwe later this year should go ahead.
British government officials have voiced concerns about the alleged human rights abuses of president Robert Mugabe's government, but argue the final decision rests with cricket officials.
But with the International Cricket Council threatening to severely sanction any country that fails to meet its touring obligations for anything other than security reasons or government direction, the tour remains on the calendar.
