Tim Lamb, the outgoing chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, has hit back at the ''sad'' comments made by former England captain Nasser Hussain in his autobiography.

Hussain, who retired during the summer, condemned Lamb's handling of the decision not to travel to Zimbabwe for the 2003 World Cup, and believes the current team should not play there this year.

The debate rages on about whether English players should travel to the African country, torn apart under the dictatorship of Robert Mugabe.

In 'Playing With Fire', serialised in the Daily Mail, Hussain heavily criticised both Lamb and ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed over the controversy in 2003.

He claimed ''emotional blackmail'' had been used to try to get the players to change their minds, and that Lamb, whom ''a number of our players and officials disliked'', ''broke down and cried in front of me.''

Lamb, though, disputed Hussain's recollection of events.

''Nasser was an outstanding batsman and passionate captain of England,'' said Lamb on BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme.

''Even allowing for the fact this is a serialisation of a book, I did find his account of what happened somewhat selective, definitely incomplete and factually inaccurate.

''To be honest, I was surprised at his lack of awareness of the wider issues and it seemed like a somewhat tacky exercise in personal justification.

''His account of events does not accord with my recollection of what happened in South Africa in February 2003.

''I don't remember that particular episode. I did have a private discussion with Nasser and it was private discussion.''

Lamb added: ''I think our relationship will be strained by this, as you would expect it to be.

''I just find it rather sad that the rewards and recognitions given to England cricketers have increased astronomically over the last seven-and-a-half years, and someone who was happy enough to come along and receive a special award from the ECB a couple of weeks ago in recognition of his services to the game, should feel compelled to slag off the very people who have given him so much support and encouragement, and helped in some way to get him to where he is today.

''You do not go into any senior management position in sport or business always seeking popularity. Whether you are the chief executive of the ECB, or indeed chief executive of the ICC, you often have to do what you think is in the wider interests of the organisation or the game as a whole.

''I find the whole thing sad and depressing, but I am not going to lose any sleep over it.''

Lamb stepped down from his post on Thursday, and believes his tenure at Lord's was well spent.

England's improved performances at Test level and the success of the Twenty20 Cup have all helped to boost the sport's profile.

Lamb reflected: ''I reached a decision in May, having discussed it with the powers that be and both sides felt that after eight years in the job the best thing for me and for the organisation was for there to be a change at the helm.

''I feel we have moved the game on. People have kindly said I helped bring the game into the 21st century and there have been some good achievements along the way.