Former England captain Nasser Hussain treated cricket fans with an unprecedented sight of on-field commentary during the hurricane relief T20 match between ICC World-XI and West Indies at Lord’s on Thursday.
Holding a mic in his hands, Hussain walked on the field after World-XI skipper Shahid Afridi won the toss and invited West Indies to bat first. As Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis geared up to face Kiwi pacer Mitchell McClenaghan in the first over, Hussain provided his insights from the slip region.
And then in the second over, as Tymal Mills hit Gayle’s helmet with a bouncer, he ran up to the West Indian opener and engaged him in a conversation. Though after a few overs, Hussain left the playing arena, he kept on talking to spectators on the fence. Later, he returned to field to interview a couple of players during the game.
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The 50-year-old’s on-field appearance, which went viral immediately, split opinions among social media users. While some saw it as part of innovative cricket coverage, there were others who termed it a farce and criticized the ICC for allowing it to happen.
{{/usCountry}}The 50-year-old’s on-field appearance, which went viral immediately, split opinions among social media users. While some saw it as part of innovative cricket coverage, there were others who termed it a farce and criticized the ICC for allowing it to happen.
{{/usCountry}}As far as the match was concerned, it saw little contest as West Indies thumped World-XI by a whopping margin of 72 runs, thanks to a half-century by Lewis (58, 26 b) and a sensational spell by Samuel Badree (2/4). The game also brought curtains to international career of Afridi. All the players donated their match fees to hurricane relief fund.Embed:
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