Nasser Hussain speaks out

Wisden Cricinfo staff21-Mar-2004Nasser Hussain’s long vigil – 58 in 353 minutes, from 223 balls – did much to establish England’s strong position. Here’s what he had to say after today’s play:

Nasser Hussain digs in© Getty Images
On the Port-of-Spain pitch
It’s not a bad wicket, it’s just a wicket where you lose your fluency themore you bat on it. It’s also losing its pace, so isn’t easy for the bowlerseither. You just have to hang in there. Personal scores are irrelevant, youjust have to make a score for your team.On Graham Thorpe’s innings
Graham’s 81 was brilliant really. To keep his fluency right through hisinnings was a great effort. Both games have been very similar. It’s been about the first innings and pressure. If we’d have been bowled out today I know what everyone would have been thinking – we have to bat last on this pitch and we don’t want to be chasing any kind of big target. Graham’s had some tough times in his personal life – but even someone like Graham Gooch took time off and you’re going to see more of that in future with the schedule the way it is. Where Graham [Thorpe] is very good, and I’ll always praise him on this, is that when he comes back into the team, to have the mental strength to do what he did at The Oval [a century against South Africa] and what he did here today, you can’t teach that.On how it feels to battle like that
I think you can enjoy it when you look back on it and realise you gotthrough difficult days. It’s not about feeling a million dollars. Theybowled well today. Someone like Collymore bowled well, with a lot ofdiscipline.On what happens next …
I’d be concentrating on our last four wickets. We try to make runs all downthe order, and if Graham can hang around with the tail tomorrow and if Ashley hangs in there then maybe we can get a few more. You have to think that at some stage the likes of Chanderpaul and Sarwan will come to the party, as someone might say. They will make runs at some stage and we don’t want to be chasing too much in the last innings.