November 11 Monday 2002
We are not embarrassed: Hussain 

BRISBANE: England captain Nasser Hussain said his team had nothing to be ashamed of after their massive loss to Australia in the first Ashes Test on Sunday.

Hussain blamed his team's 384-run defeat inside four days on nerves but said they had nothing to be embarrassed about because they had tried their best.

"We've had worse Tests than this," Hussain said."If any player didn't give it his all then they should be embarrassed for letting their country down.

"But I believe in my players and I believe all 11 of them gave it their best shot." The Essex batsman, one of just three English players to reach double figures in the side's miserable second innings total of 79, said his players had been unusually nervous before the first day and failed to handle the pressure of taking on the world champions.

"Maybe it was the build-up, maybe it was the stadium, the noise, the importance of the game, I just don't know," Hussain said. 

Hussain said his players had shown what they were capable of when they fought their way back into the match on the second day but they would have to learn how to cope with the pressure every day if they wanted to beat the Australians. 

"Every Test match is about handling nerves and pressure," Hussain said.

"We'll be under enormous pressure again in the second Test. There's pressure on every day, on every delivery, on every decision you make and it's whoever handles that pressure the best will come out on top."

Hussain confessed that he had made a mistake in letting Australia have first use of a Gabba wicket almost perfect for batting after winning the toss.

But the 34-year-old captain said that had little impact on the result and it was England's failure to stick to their gameplan and get the basics right that ultimately cost them any chance of victory.

"I'm not a believer in impetus and things like that, it's just about skills and discipline," he said. "That's why Australia are a good side at the moment, a very good side, a great side, because of their discipline. "If we batted first we might have posted a different score but still the difference in the sides would have been the disciplines. 

"The areas they bowled their balls, the way they caught, the way they went about their batting was a lot better than us." 

Despite England's poor record against Australia and the magnitude of their first-Test loss, Hussain said he was still optimistic his players could win their first Ashes series in 16 years.

"Unfortunately we have a habit, and it's not funny, of losing first Test matches," Hussain said. "(But) if you know anything about English cricket we have lost before and we have lost first Tests before and we have turned things around so that's one bit of history that we can call upon. 

"I believe in any contest that if you give yourself the best chance to succeed then you've got a chance but if we play like we did on the first day then we've got no chance of beating Australia.

"If we play like we did on the second day when we batted first up then we've got a good chance."