England skipper Nasser Hussain resigned as captain of the England cricket team today, with Michael Vaughan announced as his replacement. Hussain, 32, who quit as one-day captain after England’s first round exit in the World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, had just led the side to a draw in the opening Test against South Africa at Edgbaston. Vaughan is now captain of both the one-day and Test teams. “I feel that the time is right for a change,” Hussain said. “Michael Vaughan has shown in the last few months what a capable leader he is”. “The last thing this team needs is a tired leader. I need to give a 100 per cent when I am captain. Captaincy always affects your game.” Hussain was named in the England squad for the second Test against South Africa starting Thursday. He said he would continue to play for England. Hussain replaced wicketkeeper and batsman Alec Stewart as captain in 1999. He has led England to 17 wins in 45 Tests as captain including 15 defeats. Hussain came under increasing pressure after England’s poor performance on the field in the just finished South Africa Test. England bowled badly as South Africa hit up a match-controlling 594 for five declared including a career-best 277 by Graeme Smith. “I’ve tried to play these mental games but I found myself out there on Thursday not the kind of captain I wanted,” Hussain said. Hussain has been one of England’s most successful modern Test captains. In 2000, he led England to a historic 3-1 series win over the West Indies at home — first series win against them since 1969. After winning the home series against Zimbabwe and the West Indies during the summer of 2000, Hussain led England to landmark series wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka during the winter. On the field, South Africa’s hopes of squeezing victory from the rain-blighted first Test were foiled by England and the weather as a tense encounter finally petered out into a grey draw. Graeme Smith, who scored 277 in the first innings and 85 at faster than a run a ball in the second as he set the agenda throughout, asked his bowlers to exploit a deteriorating pitch after setting an improbable target of 321 from 65 overs. But England, defending against Shaun Pollock slide-rule seam from the Pavilion End while treating the other bowlers with less respect, held out as dark rain clouds gathered over Edgbaston. They reached 110 for one, with Marcus Trescothick on 52 not out, before being forced from the field early after an previous interruption for bad light in the final session. Trescothick, batting with a fractured finger, provided one of the few moments of defiance in the gathering gloom by equalling the Test record of five consecutive boundaries. Two cuts, a pull and two straight drives were followed by a dot ball before Makhaya Ntini was taken off after conceding 31 in two overs. BRIEF SCORES South Africa: 594-5 decl and 134/ 4 declEngland: 408 (Trescothick 31, Vaughan 156, McGrath 34, Stewart 38, Flintoff 40, .Giles 41, Pollock 2/51, Ntini 4/114, Pretorius 4/115) and 110/1 (Trescothick 52 no).
