Former England skipper Nasser Hussain hit back at the critics regarding the speculation on James Anderson’s retirement following his underwhelming performance in the ongoing Ashes series on home soil. The 40-year-old’s place in the team came under the scanner in the ongoing series.
The England pacer could not make an impactful performance for his team, as he picked up only four wickets across five innings for the team, as he could not swing and seam movement with the new ball and the reverse swing in the old ball, as the Australian batters played him with ease on the three games so far.
Owing to his poor performance in the first two games James Anderson was rested for the third game and brought back into the team for the 4th test, Speaking on Skysports Cricket, Nasser Hussain slammed the critics for pushing the cricketers into retirement very soon and recalled the performance of James Anderson in the before this year and wants the England management to keep him as long as fit to play the game.
“I think we send some of our cricketers into retirement too soon. Three months ago Anderson was the No 1 bowler in the world and he is unbelievably good. We should keep hold of him as long as we can,” Nasser Hussain said.
James Anderson has been recalled in the XI in place of Ollie Robinson, who had broken down in the third Test. Anderson returned from a groin injury, sustained playing for Lancashire in a county game, at the start of the series, and was some way short of his best.
Heart And Character Are Important – Nasser Hussain On Mark Wood’s Impact In The Team
Nasser Hussain hailed England speedster Mark Wood for straightaway making an impactful performance for the team coming when their side is trailing a high-octane series 2-0 and compared him with the legendary Darren Gough, who has done exceedingly for his team during his playing days.
“Heart and character are important. When England were at their lowest point, 2-0 down, you could not think of a better man to come in than Wood. I had someone like that in Darren Gough and I think Wood is exactly the same,” Nasser Hussain added.
The England pacer has made a stunning comeback from an injury and produced a match-winning performance for the team in a must-win third test and has been bowling exceedingly well for the team in the ongoing fourth Test in Manchester and his role would be very crucial for England on the final day of the game, which would potentially be a defining moment in the series.