Play Warne, not his reputation: Hussain

Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, has urged his countrymen to play Shane Warne on merit rather than on reputation during the forthcoming Ashes Test series.

Cricinfo staff
14-Jul-2005


Nasser Hussain feels that Warne is past his prime © Getty Images
Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, has urged his countrymen to play Shane Warne on merit rather than on reputation during the forthcoming Ashes Test series. Writing in the August issue of The Wisden Cricketer, Hussain said he believed Warne was well past his best. "I reckon Warne was at his best about 10 years ago. Now his bowling doesn't have the same fizz, and he hasn't got the flipper after his shoulder operations," wrote Hussain. "But he's still a pretty good bowler because he has more guile and can out-think people."
Hussain noted that while Warne remained a dangerous bowler, England's batsmen needed to pierce his aura of invincibility. "He has developed this straight-on delivery that comes out the front of the hand and drifts in, to get batsmen lbw as they play what they think is a perfect forward-defensive," he wrote. "We must be wary that we don't end up playing Shane Warne the myth rather than Shane Warne the leg spinner."
Hussain said that Adam Gilchrist was the biggest threat the England team faced in the Ashes. "For me, Gilchrist is one of the greatest ever, and that is a huge statement. He has changed the way cricket is played: whatever game it is, he picks his bat up and tries to hit it," he wrote. "If Australia are 400 for 5 who is the last person you want coming out? Adam Gilchrist. If they are 150 for 5, who is the last person you want coming out? Adam Gilchrist. He'll hit a hundred off 120 balls when the opposition have them five down and think they are through. It deflates you."
Hussain also believes that the Australians usually gained the upper hand by bullying the opposition, and this is a pitfall the English team must avoid. "Australia are very good bullies. They look you in the face, they know they are good and they will let you know, he wrote. "The mind games start with the likes of Jeff Thomson saying Matthew Hoggard shouldn't even be a net bowler. Then comes the bullying attitude on the field."
The first Ashes Test match begins at Lord's on July 21. England have not won the Ashes since 1986-87, and never under Hussain's captaincy.
Nasser Hussain's article appears in the August issue of The Wisden Cricketer.
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