London, May 27: Former England cricket captain Nasser Hussain announced today that he was retiring from the game, three days after scoring a match-winning century against New Zealand. "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," he told a news conference in London. The 36-year-old, who said he did not want to stand in the way of younger players.
Hussain said he had made up his mind to retire on Sunday night. Events on Monday, when he scored a century, ran out debutant Andrew Strauss and hit the winning runs at Lord's, convinced him he had made the right decision.
"It has been a major decision for me and not one that I have ... willing to fight against youth - I mean youth in the form of Andrew Strauss. By Sunday night I had decided my time was up. "Monday was an incredible day, it clarified my thoughts. If someone were to give me a day for the effort I have put in since I was a young boy, it was Monday." Hussain, who plays for Essex, scored 103 not out as England won the first of three tests against the New Zealanders by seven wickets. He ran out man-of-the match Strauss, one of the main challengers for Hussain's team place, just when he seemed set to score a century in both innings of his debut.
Hussain, England captain from 1999 to 2003, played 96 Tests, averaging 37.18 and scoring 14 centuries. A right-handed batsman, he also played 88 one-dayers, averaging 30.28, but retired from the shorter game after the 2003 World Cup.
Pride played a part in his retirement decision as Hussain said he did not want to be tapped on the shoulder one day by the selectors and told he was dropped.
Bureau Report