Nasser Hussain has praised Moeen Ali, calling him an inspirational figure both on and off the field, after the allrounder announced his retirement from international cricket. Moeen, has had a successful career, playing 68 Tests, 138 ODIs, and 92 T20Is. Moeen made history as the first British Asian to captain England in a T20I match against Australia in 2020 and has been an influential vice-captain to Jos Buttler. Despite participating in the T20 World Cup earlier this year, Moeen was not selected for the upcoming series against Australia, leading to his decision to retire.

Hussain highlighted that the 37-year-old, Moeen will be remembered not only for his achievements but also for his significant impact on his community.

“He is a hugely important and inspirational cricketer on and off the cricket field,” Hussain said as per quoted by Sky Sports

“One of England’s most influential multi-format cricketers. An Ashes winner, a World Cup 50-over winner, a World Cup 20-over winner,” he added.

“He himself said he has had the odd brain fade. He has played some good shots and some not so good shots,” hussain noted.

“I think anyone who watched him play enjoyed it but also those who played with him enjoyed it,” he said as per quoted by Sky Sports.

“You can imagine his WhatsApp this morning going berserk because he was a very popular member of any side he has played in,” Hussain remarked.

“He was an entertainer but also a really important figure off the field being a British Asian and a British Muslim,” he said

“Moeen was a role model for his community. He spoke about when he was growing up, parents might want you to become a doctor or something, but he and Adil Rashid have shown that there are so many different avenues for people from that community,” he concluded as per quoted by Sky Sports.

Former captain Nasser Hussain thinks Ollie Pope’s appointment as England Test skipper for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka augurs well for the side ahead of the all-important Ashes happening next year in Australia. Pope was made England captain for the Sri Lanka series starting on August 21 as Ben Stokes was ruled out due to a torn hamstring. “I think it’s good for Pope to be captain for three Tests, just in case, Ben Stokes does get injured in the future. They need other options. Just like when they go to Australia, and they don’t want a bowling attack that’s inexperienced. You don’t want to get there with someone (leading) who hasn’t done it before,” said Hussain in the latest episode of Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

At the same time, Hussain thinks Pope has yet to establish himself as a firm leader in the England Test side. “The feeling with Pope is that it doesn’t come naturally, (whereas) the feeling with Stokes is that cricketing intelligence comes very naturally to him.”

“It feels like he (Pope) was given the vice-captaincy to get him out of that shell, the no. 3 position as well, we believe in you, which I think was the right thing to do. But the other side of that, when you’re captain. You’ve to sell that belief. Sell yourself to the team, your plans.”

Similar views were echoed by former skipper Michael Atherton. “Essentially, you’re in a caretaker position. And Ben Stokes has left such a permanent mark on the side, Ollie Pope wouldn’t want to change that. While you are captain and you make decisions, it’s someone else’s team. It’s a slightly awkward position for him.”

Just like Stokes, England will also be without opener Zak Crawley for the series due to a broken finger. Hussain quipped Test head coach Brendon McCullum would employ innovations in selection, instead of going back to players who have been dropped from the side due to form.

“With this regime, in selection they don’t want to look back, even with their opening combinations. They really don’t want to go back to (Alex) Lees or (Keaton) Jennings or someone, they’re constantly looking forward.”

“They’ll just move up one, (Jamie) Smith can bat a bit higher, (Chris) Woakes can bat a bit higher, and maybe Olly Stone can. They’re (looking for) the younger ones, in the Lions game I noticed the lad Kasey Aldridge. I think that’s someone they maybe keeping an eye on the future. The (Shoaib) Bashir selection. They’ll do left-field selections.”

Atherton stated someone like Dan Lawrence, who will open in Crawley’s absence, will be primed to bring their positive gameplay to the top-order for the upcoming Test series. “Stokes came over and said, ‘When Crawley’s fit, he’ll come back.’ So they don’t want to overcomplicate it.”

“Old-timers like me talk about opening being a specialist position. But they aren’t interested in that, they want a middle-order dasher like Dan Lawrence in that position. And if you said to Dan Lawrence, would you wait on the sidelines or have a crack (at) opening. Then definitely, he’s gonna try and grab that opportunity with both hands.”

Former captain Nasser Hussain said England’s quickfire victory over the West Indies in the first Test at the Lord’s summed up the problems the longest format of the game finds itself at. England beat West Indies by an innings and 114 runs in the first hour of day three, to now take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. While England had some red-ball preparation in the form of County Championship games, West Indies played just one three-day red-ball game against First Class Counties XI in preparation.

Moreover, the majority of the members in the West Indies squad haven’t played red-ball cricket since the wonderful eight-run win over Australia at Brisbane in January. “Those two days summed up for me where we are with Test cricket. You talk about all the batting they could have but they’re off in a white-ball sunset, you’ve got bowlers who haven’t bowled, you’ve got undercooked cricketers, and then you lose the toss and have the worst of conditions, and everyone goes ‘Test cricket is dying’.”

“But if you prepare for a Test match like that, you’ll get exactly what England get when they go away. It frustrates me because you’ve got to give Test matches the preparation that they deserve, which is a very easy thing to say but a very difficult thing to do in modern times,” said Hussain on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

There is curiosity around whether the second Test between England and the West Indies at Trent Bridge will prove to be more competitive. “The other story is ‘the West Indies are in terminal decline’ — England haven’t won in the Caribbean for two decades and (the West Indies) hold the Richard-Botham Trophy.”

“England travel to India or Australia and don’t particularly do well, so it shouldn’t just be a West Indies story. All it does is add to the fact that Test-match cricket is in a difficult place, and it is sort of self-perpetuating.”

“If you don’t look after it, then sides turn up and put in a performance like that, and everyone goes, ‘Told you, Test-match cricket is dying’. Listening to you speaking to Jimmy Anderson after 188 Test matches on the podium, I would like to think we would try to look after Test-match cricket.”

Michael Atherton, the former England skipper, elaborated on how Anderson spoke passionately about his love for Test cricket following his retirement from international cricket at Lord’s and will now take up the role of fast-bowling mentor in the red-ball team.

“Anderson said, ‘Test cricket has literally made me the person I am’. So, all the lessons he’s drawn from Test cricket — the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows, the coming back for that third spell at six o’clock in the evening and having to dig deep within yourself.”

“All of the things which have made him the mature person he is, Test cricket has helped him along the way. I wanted to ask him about it because it’s at a fragile time, he’s going to move onto a mentoring role and you’d hope, because there are young players coming through now who will have career choices to make.”

“You’d like to feel Jimmy would say to them ‘sometimes the easiest choices are not always the most rewarding or most fulfilling’…although everybody needs to pay the bills, one understands that.”

Arguably the greatest pace bowler of all time, James Anderson finally hung up his boots, drawing curtains to his illustrious career as an international cricketer. The England vs West Indies Test at Lord’s turned out to be his final appearance in the England shirt, with the veteran pacer ending his career at the top of the wicket-taking charts for pace bowlers, scalping a whopping 704 wickets. But, after helping England secure a victory in his farewell game, Anderson admitted that there was one moment in the final that left him quite disappointed.

In a post-match interview with Sky Cricket, Anderson held a candid chat with Egland great Nasser Hussain, under who he made his debut two decades ago.

“Obviously this morning was quite emotional with the two teams lined up and the reaction from the crowd was pretty special,” Anderson said. “But yeah, I’m still trying to hold them [tears] back now, but I think I’m just really proud of playing for 20-odd years. [It] is an incredible effort, especially for a fast bowler.

“I’m just happy that I’ve made it this far. Happy that I’ve been lucky enough to stay injury-free pretty much throughout my career. And yeah, play for England. It’s the best job in the world, so I’ve been privileged to be able to do it for a long time.”

Anderson was given a fine welcome by the palyers in both teams as he walked into the Lord’s Cricket Ground for the last time as an England international. It was truly an emotional moment for him.

“Yeah, has been different emotions, been so up and down. Saw my girls ring a bell on day one. Walking out today with both teams lined up again was pretty emotional. I forgot what I was actually trying to do with the ball,” Anderson said at a press interaction after the game. “But yeah, it’s been incredible. As I said, the reaction of crowds was phenomenal. I can’t get my head around it right now.

“But yeah, it’s just been an amazing 20 years. Every moment, every great sports person, there is the family, mother, father, wife, kids, who allow you to do what you’ve done for so long.”

‘Gutted’ To Not Get The 705th Wicket

Anderson could’ve finished his career with 705 wickets instead of 704 had he not dropped a sitter to give West Indies’ Gudakesh Motie a lifeline. He still remains disappointed about that spilled opportunity.

“I’m still gutted to have dropped that catch to be honest,” Anderson said. “But yeah, it’s been an amazing week. I’ve been quite overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground and the lads as well, just proud of what I’ve achieved.”

“I’ve been lucky to play with some amazing players,” Anderson said. “Some of the most talented cricketers that have ever played the game, but more importantly, some really good blokes and some friends that I’ve made for life.

“And it is a really special sport. I think no other sport creates this sort of atmosphere, these sorts of friendships, and part of me is a little bit jealous of these lads [who] get to experience that for the next few years. As I said, we’ve got a young team, lots of incredible talent, and the advice I’d pass on to them is just enjoy every moment, because it’s a great ride.”

Speaking of the most memorable moments as a cricketer, winning in Australia, India is what the veteran pacer has enjoyed the most.

“Winning series and winning Test matches,” Anderson said are the most special memories of his career, “it’s been the only thing that I’ve been interested in since I came into the England team – winning in Australia, winning in India becoming number one site in the world and contributing to those those series as well. Taking wickets, they’re the things that are remembered forever; playing with some of the greats in the game as well. It’s just been really really special.”

“Well, I think just the feeling that we’ve got now – winning the Test match,” he said. “There’s no better feeling – everyone’s put in the graft this week. I know it looks like we’ve dominated, but we’ve had to work really hard for this win; sharing other people’s success as well.

When asked what feeling will he miss the most, Anderon said the aches and pain.

“Gus was amazing this week on debut, Jamie Smith on debut as well. Incredible. Seeing the lads go out there and show off their talent, and then you get to sit in here after a win and celebrate those sorts of performances together is an incredible sort of thing that I’ll definitely miss.

“Feeling like I do now,” Anderson said. “I feel about 55 after the overs I’ve bowled this week. The aches and pains that you wake up with, I think I’ll miss them. But yeah, I mean, as I said, I feel really fortunate. I’ve been able to do what I’ve done for a long time and I’m just happy that I’ve made it this far.”

“I think I’ve not really thought that far ahead. I’m going to stick around for the rest of the summer with these guys. Try and help the bowling group out as much as I can, and we will see where life takes is a bit after that. I’m not looked that far ahead.”

Virat Kohli‘s continued poor form in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup has brought in opinions from several cricketers, experts and fans alike. However, few people have seen Kohli’s game from up close better than former India coach Ravi Shastri. Shastri and Kohli shared a great bond as coach and captain of Team India in all formats. After Kohli’s failure against England in the semi-final, Shastri said that he should stick to his natural game without trying to be overly aggressive.

“This is not his game. He’s going too early for it, especially with Rohit Sharma playing aggressively at the other end,” opined Shastri, speaking on Star Sports.

“He is more orthodox, but he can make up quite easily if he spends more time at the crease,” said Shastri.

Against England, Kohli had hit a six off Reece Topley in the third over. However, just two balls later, Kohli had to walk back to the dugout as he misjudged the ball while trying to play big towards mid-wicket.

“When he tries to get out of his zone, he will get out in that fashion,” Shastri said.

“He has tried to manufacture shots that are not there. You should do that when you’re in top form, when you’ve got 300 runs in the competition. When you’re looking to break free when the runs are not there, it’s not easy. The key word is rhythm,” Shastri added.

Despite Kohli’s failure with the bat, his opening partner Rohit Sharma scored a brilliant 39-ball 57. Along with Suryakumar Yadav‘s 47 off 36 balls and handy cameos at the back end, India posted 171 in 20 overs on a tricky, wet Guyana pitch.

“I think Kohli should’ve played like Kohli has done for a decade,” said former English cricketer Nasser Hussain.

Having made just 75 runs in seven innings so far, Kohli will be aiming for a royal finish to the 2024 T20 World Cup with a big score in the final against South Africa, in Barbados on June 29.

As the Indian cricket team booked their spot in the T20 World Cup final, beating England at the penultimate hurdle comprehensively, talks of the International Cricket Council’s ‘bias’ towards the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian team have gained momentum. Despite India’s thumping 68-run win against England, there are those who feel the shifting of venue for the Indian team, from Trinidad to Guyana, for the semi-final worked in their favour. However, England icon and former captain Nasser Hussain has quashed the talks, giving a mouth-shutting reply to those talking about ‘bias’.

“The narrative will be that everything on Thursday was geared towards India reaching the T20 World Cup final – the surface, the venue, all seemed to be in their favour. But if you look at things in greater detail, they came into this semi-final against England having just beaten 50-over world champions Australia on a bouncier, good pitch in St Lucia. and reverted to a lower, slower pitch and won comfortably. Fair play to them for the way they played and it feels right that India and South Africa, the two unbeaten sides in the tournament, go head to head in Barbados on Saturday,” Hussain wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

Highlighting the biggest reason behind Team India’s T20 World Cup 2024 qualification, Nasser lauded the ability of Rohit Sharma‘s men to adapt, from bouncy pitches in the semi-final against South Africa to low-keeping spin-friendly wickets against England.

“India’s score was only slightly higher than the 168 they put up in the 2022 semi-final they lost to England at the Adelaide Oval, but the difference in conditions to here in Guyana was chalk and cheese. A combination of seamers keeping the ball low and spinners turning it with no bounce made their 171 for seven a pretty decent score to defend, and Rohit Sharma showed his class by taking one of his favourite shots – the pull – out of the equation to make another half-century,” Hussain said.

The former England captain also held special praise for India captain Rohit, batter Suryakumar Yadav and all-rounder Hardik Pandya for their performance against Jos Buttler‘s side.

“Suryakumar Yadav addressed the lack of bounce by opening areas of the ground that other batters simply couldn’t with his scoops and wristy flicks, and they were well supported by Hardik Pandya’s muscly cameo,” Hussain said.

Jasprit Bumrah was the only Indian who made the cut in a 2024 T20 World Cup ‘Team of the Tournament’ made by England greats Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain. The team, which has been made on the premise of the group stage of the T20 World Cup, saw the likes of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Arshdeep Singh be left out, despite stellar performances. The English duo – who are now reputed commentators – analysed and explained their choices on Sky Sports Cricket.

Virat Kohli – the all-time highest run-getter in T20 World Cup history – will be hoping to make the Team of the Tournament at a later stage, having scored just five runs so far.

“We had Bumrah, obviously. He had to be in,” quipped Nasser Hussain. Bumrah has picked up five wickets in India’s first three games, including two Player of the Match awards, against Ireland and arch-rivals Pakistan.

Atherton and Hussain showed a lot of love for some of the unsung heroes of the tournament. Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Scotland’s Brandon McMullen and USA’s Aaron Jones all made their XI.

After winning IPL 2024, Gurbaz has been exceptional, scoring 167 runs in four innings at a striker rate of more than 150. McMullen has scored at an even faster rate, boasting a strike rate of 170.

Australia’s Marcus Stoinis was the only all-rounder picked by Atherton and Hussain. Stoinis is the third top run-scorer of the 2024 T20 World Cup so far, at a phenomenal strike rate of 190. Incredibly, he has also picked six wickets in four games, with an economy of just 5.77.

The Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup gets underway on Wednesday, June 19, as hosts USA face South Africa in Group II.

Atherton and Hussain’s ‘Team of the Tournament So Far’:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Travis Head, Brandon McMullen, Aaron Jones, Marcus Stoinis, David Miller, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein, Adam Zampa, Jasprit Bumrah, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Jos Buttler in action for England© AFP

The ICC on Friday announced some of the biggest names in cricket and broadcasting, including former India coach Ravi Shastri and the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, as part of a robust commentary panel for next month’s T20 World Cup. The T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies from June 2 till 29. Dinesh Karthik, who retired from all forms of cricket after his team Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL campaign, has also been named in the commentary panel list.

Leading the commentary team are stalwarts such as Shastri, Nasser Hussain, Ian Smith, Mel Jones, Harsha Bhogle and Ian Bishop.

Adding to the insights on the modern game, the team will be joined by former men’s and women’s T20 World Cup champions such as Karthik, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Samuel Badree, Carlos Brathwaite, Steve Smith, Aaron Finch and Lisa Sthalekar.

Former 50-over World Cup winners Ricky Ponting, Gavaskar, Matthew Hayden, Ramiz Raja, Eoin Morgan, Tom Moody and Wasim Akram will also be lending their expert analysis to the upcoming tournament.

Making his World Cup debut, American commentator James O’Brien – better known as Jomboy – will aim to add context to the games for the American audiences.

The other big names in the team include Dale Steyn, Graeme Smith, Michael Atherton, Waqar Younis, Simon Doull, Shaun Pollock and Katey Martin alongside renowned cricketing names in broadcasting such as Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Natalie Germanos, Danny Morrison, Alison Mitchell, Alan Wilkins, Brian Murgatroyd, Mike Haysman, Ian Ward, Athar Ali Khan, Russel Arnold, Niall O’Brien, Kass Naidoo and former West Indies skipper Daren Ganga.

ICC will provide extensive coverage of the tournament across the 28 days of action with a pre-match show, an innings interval programme and a post-match wrap-up.

Building on the success of the vertical feed at the ICC men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, ICC TV will introduce an AI-supported vertical feed for the T20 World Cup.

This innovative feature, produced in collaboration with Disney Star, Quidich Innovation Labs, and NEP, will be a first for cricket.