Nasser Hussain and Shaun Pollock endured miserable World Cup campaigns but on Tuesday both gained some consolation as they were named in cricket bible Wisden’s five players of 2002.
The former England and South Africa one day captains joined Australian opening bat Matthew Hayden, England’s world leading batsman Michael Vaughan and Surrey’s Australian-born skipper Adam Hollioake.
Hussain stepped down as one day captain after England’s traumatic campaign which was dominated by the debate over whether they should play Zimbabwe – they didn’t in the end – and saw them fail to reach the Super Six stage.
He has stayed on as test captain while Vaughan is widely believed set to be named as his successor in the one day capacity. Hussain blotted his copybook with Wisden when he revealed in a newspaper column on Sunday that he was one of the quintet. He’s also stated his aim is to play in 100 Tests, a milestone he is currently 19 short of achieving.
”As a captain, he is a major figure in cricket history, who has changed the culture of his team,” said Wisden editor Tim de Lisle.
”And if you just take his batting alone, it is remarkable how often he makes a hundred in the first Test of a series or on a bad wicket.”
Pollock’s World Cup was equally as dramatic and disappointing as the hosts crashed out in the first round when their match with Sri Lanka was abandoned because of rain and with South Africa just one run away on the Duckworth/Lewis method from victory which would have seen them go through.
The pace bowler led South Africa to the top of the world Test rankings in 2002, with series victories over Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but suffered defeat to Australia.
”If we restricted the choice to players who had done well against the present Australians, we wouldn’t have many to choose from,” de Lisle argued.
Players may only be nominated once in their careers. – Sapa