November 11 Monday 2002
Hussain admits he got it wrong on worst day as captain 

LONDON: Nasser Hussain said the first day of the Ashes series was his worst as England captain and admits he was wrong to send Australia into bat on Thursday after winning the toss. Australia destroyed England's bowling attack in a ferocious display to close at 364 for two after 90 overs on Thursday. 

ÒIt's obvious, blatantly obvious, that the decision I made to send Australia in to bat in the first Test was wrong," Hussain wrote in his Sunday Telegraph column.

"As the England captain I am paid to make decisions and I like to think I am big enough and honest enough to admit that this one was a big mistake. I take full responsibility for it and will not hide behind any excuses. 

"Obviously we were not helped by the cruciate ligament injury to Simon Jones. Throw that in and it added up to the worst day I have had as an England player, certainly since I became captain. 

"Everything went wrong from the toss to the close," he said. 

Hussain said he opted to put the Australians into bat in the hope that his bowlers could make use of the conditions to limit Australia to 300 for five or six wickets by the end of the first day, in line with recent history at the Gabba. He said his decision had also been shaped by events on his side's tour of Australia and by England's last Test at the Gabba which he played in. The wickets have been so flat on the current tour that the only time England had bowled a side out twice was when playing Western Australia, he said. 

"I knew the only time the Gabba wicket did a bit for the seamers was in the first couple of sessions, and I wanted to give our inexperienced bowlers the best opportunity. 

"In other words, let them bowl on the first morning, not on day two and three when the pitch was going to be at its flattest," he said. 

"Of course I knew it was going to be a gamble...but at the time it seemed to be a risk worth taking." 

Hussain said that whatever England did in the rest of the Test it would remain the wrong decision. 

"The longer the game goes on, the more the cracks will open up and the more the pitch will deteriorate, and the more rough Shane Warne will have to bowl into." 

But Hussain said the way his team fought back after the opening day had made him proud to be their captain. Going into the fourth day, Australia were 111-2 in their second innings having bowled out England on Saturday for 325. Australia made 492 in their first innings.