England coach is an African from Wales

THE ENGLAND and Wales Cricket Board last night appointed a new captain and coach. Nasser Hussain and Duncan Fletcher, both recent favourites for the respective jobs, will not work in tandem until the current season is finished, when Fletcher will be released by his current employers, Glamorgan.

Fletcher, a Zimbabwean, will be the first foreign coach, and Madras- born Hussain is the first player of Asian extraction to captain England. After a World Cup that saw fanatical and vocal support for India and Pakistan, his appointment can only be a positive step in attracting the untapped talent those communities can offer.

Educated at Forest school in Essex, Hussain, now 31, has played 39 Tests for England and was vice-captain to both Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart, the man he replaces.

A passionate cricketer, Hussain's desire to succeed at all costs has not always sat well with authority, and in the past he has been punished on more than one occasion by Essex for speaking out of turn. Fletcher, who replaces the outgoing David Lloyd, captained Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup, recording a surprise win over Australia.

It could be a dream ticket providing their eyes meet somewhere between Harare and Chelmsford.

Full report, page 32