Cricket: Winning combo a perfect match

Former England allrounder DEREK PRINGLE reports on a marriage made in cricketing heaven.

COLOMBO - They first met on a blind date 18 months ago in a back room at Lord's. But if the circumstances - the leadership of a hapless England side - could not have been less romantic, the subsequent marriage of captain Nasser Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher, if not made in heaven, has at least been manna from it.

Four series wins in a row has not been achieved since the Mike Brearley era of the late 1970s. But if this team has equalled that, the fact that two of the victories - in Pakistan and now Sri Lanka - have taken place abroad in conditions not experienced by England players in almost a decade, raises it even higher.

Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that under the "Flussain" method, England at last appear to have found a blueprint for regular success.

"This win took us to a different level from Pakistan," Hussain said after the third-test triumph to clinch the series in Sri Lanka last weekend.

"To come back after going one down in Galle, where we couldn't bowl them out in two days, was a huge effort.

"Because we hadn't toured these parts for so long, I'd not had any goals or expectations in terms of results. But in terms of character and bottle, all expectations have been surpassed and I was very impressed with my team."

Of course, the success in Sri Lanka and in Pakistan breeds heightened expectations and with the Ashes series looming, people are no longer speaking of England's chances in embarrassed whispers.

"When you're doing so well, there is a different kind of pressure to when you're losing," Hussain said. "Now that people are starting to talk about us as a good side, you want to make sure you get things like team selection spot-on. But that's where Duncan is brilliant. He is so clear about certain things regarding selection and fitness."

If the evidence of England's improvement is overpowering, the means are not. Just how a Madras-born, Essex-raised reformed superbrat and a quiet, middle-aged Zimbabwean managed to take a side ranked joint bottom of the test ladder in August 1999 into the top three, is not something that lends itself to rational explanation.

Yet if central contracts, along with the rest now given to key players liberated of their county commitments, has helped, there are still ingredients in the mix that are difficult to pin down.

One is the apparently complementary nature of Hussain and Fletcher's personalities. An awkward, abrasive cove even now, Hussain's aggressive nature has clearly benefited not only from the responsibilities of leadership, but from Fletcher's calm and authoritative presence.

Anyone who doubts the differences need only have listened to the tape recordings of both parties on a "before and after" basis. On Sunday, following England's astonishing and ruthless demolition of Sri Lanka, Hussain's voice was coming over in machinegun staccato at high volume. A day later, as the high receded, it was calm and analytical.

Fletcher's, on the other hand, was identical on both occasions, evidence perhaps of a 52-year-old mind intent on not getting too carried away. Either that, or a coolness of character that no deep-freeze can match.

Fletcher's presence affects the whole team, as it should. But while there are moves afoot to bring on youth in such roles as umpiring, it sometimes pays to have a supportive father-figure who stands no nonsense, a dual role the previous coach, the energetic David Lloyd, could not quite manage.

Whatever the respective qualities of captain to coach - yin to yang; Bill to Ben - they appear to work in harmony and, says Fletcher, in peace.

"We have great respect for one another. I was saying to Nasser just yesterday that it seems incredible that we did not know each other until recently. I guess we're just a puzzle that seems to fit.

"I remember meeting him for the first time at Lord's in June 1999, and I mentioned something about body language. When I heard him mention it at a press conference a few days later, I knew he was a listener. In fact, that is one of his great strengths. He listens to all kinds of viewpoints, goes away, weighs it all up, and then makes his own decision."

Fletcher's main strength as a coach is to simplify ways of improving technical and mental skills. Not for him the "theory-a-week" style of coaches such as Bob Woolmer.

He identifies one or two areas and concentrates on them.

As a tactician on the field, Hussain never lets situations drift.

"Tactically, Nasser is a very good captain," Fletcher said. "He's got great cricket awareness and is always a move or two ahead on the field. He's mentally strong, too, and to go through what he did with his poor batting form last year is amazing.

"He never once changed his character, which, as a captain, is a very good sign."

For his part, Hussain believes he got the captaincy just at the right time.

"You can get it too early or too late, but I got it at a nice time for me. It has a shelf life and my plan is to do it for a while, try and leave the side in a good state of affairs, and then hand it on to someone else."

- INDEPENDENT