Quotes from Nasser Hussain

When you are no longer England captain, you suddenly realise it's over, you are no longer England captain, and you appreciate what you had.

I'm not naive and realise it doesn't make good commentary or sell newspapers if you only say nice things, and the time does come when you have to say someone isn't good enough and has to go. But commentators like Richie Benaud have shown that criticism can be made in a constructive or humorous way.

I played with Graham Thorpe and Alec Stewart; if anything off the field affected Graham his cricket life was not important and you had to give him a break. But if Alec had issues at home you would never know about it; he would turn up and think: 'This is my job, I can do it.'

Tiger Woods is someone I'd like to ask questions of. I'm fascinated to know about his life - everything he goes through, is he happy being Tiger Woods?

Spinners are a funny breed. If they're playing on seaming pitches they moan and if they're about to play on real 'Bunsen burners' they reckon the pressure is on them.

If you've got an opportunity to improve your squad before a World Cup you must take it.

When I first became captain the job was new and refreshing and didn't affect my batting. I was still in the same mental pattern I had had for 10 years; batting came first and captaincy fitted in with that.

Being awarded the OBE was a great honour and something I had not been expecting.

I had good and bad seasons for Essex. I was a real form player: if I got on a run, I was happy and confident, but if I had a bad trot, I was far too analytical of my game, worried about it too much and my form got worse.

I certainly do not want to be remembered as a good captain who perhaps didn't contribute with the bat as much as he might have done.

Michael Atherton's powers of concentration never cease to amaze me. When you need reminding what Test-match batting is all about, who else would you have at the other end?

I think I've broken every finger, and my wrist on a tennis court in Guyana, and at 33 you get other injuries like hernias and tennis elbow.

Politicians as diverse as Nelson Mandela and Robert Mugabe have been quoted at our team meetings. That is how political England cricket tours have become.

It is crucial to have an injury seen to quickly.

Every player needs to be aware of the levels of fitness needed to play international cricket.

If we are going to win games, we need 11 fit players. Sir Alex Ferguson does not pick half-fit players.

When you've done as much travelling as I have, it becomes hard work - I probably spend 90 per cent of the year travelling.

Nothing worse than walking out in a Test match and finding your hand slipping on the handle.

There is nothing worse after a long car journey than to have to go to meetings.

I always used the media - if people were having a go I could use it as motivation to prove them wrong.

I feel, as a captain, that when you face a batsman who plays spin well you feel as if you are a fielder short.

Well, I've always prefered playing spin off the back foot because, to my mind, it takes short leg and silly point out of the equation.

Bowling was my natural skill. I didn't know how I was doing it, but I was spinning it miles and bamboozling people.

Whether that was in the Chepauk Stadium in Madras or at the Ilford Cricket School, there was a daily diet of cricket run by my dad. It was a hard school but he knew what he was doing. Everything I achieved was down to my dad.