Stress is beginning to show on Hussain

Hussain has become the first England captain since Mike Brearley more than 20 years ago to lead his side to four successive series wins.

He and his team completed the job with the thrilling four-wicket final Test win over Sri Lanka.

But the stresses and strains of guiding England to wins over Zimbabwe, West Indies and Pakistan have taken their toll on Hussain.

Michael Atherton recently revealed how the captain has taken to wandering around hotel corridors in the middle of the night wrestling with important decisions.

Such is the all-consuming nature of the job, Hussain has already begun worrying about the challenges ahead - with the first Test against Pakistan at Lord's just over two months away followed by the ultimate contest against Australia in a five-Test Ashes series.

''You can see from what happens on the field with this team how our emotions change from day to day and you wake up not knowing what you're going to go through that day,'' said Hussain.

''When you're doing so well that presents a different kind of pressure. When you're losing everybody is expecting you to lose like the old days.

''But now there's pressure on us; people are starting to talk about us as a good side, so you want to make sure you have everything spot on.

''The way this side have played has given me a lot of pride, and that keeps you going."

Three years ago, when Alec Stewart took over the captaincy, Hussain was seen as too insular to take on the demands of leading a team.

Following the early World Cup exit, however, he was given his chance and after losing a home series against New Zealand, England's prospects have steadily risen since he began his partnership with coach Duncan Fletcher at the end of 1999.

Hussain said: ''When I was first interviewed for the job I said that you behave one way as a player because you focus on your own game, and that is your job.

''It's not up to you to worry about what we're going to do if we win the toss or what the side's going to be. You have to give people credit that when they are captain they are going to behave differently.

''I'd have found this job much more difficult if I hadn't got on with the people around me or I didn't believe in them. We have a coach who gives full support in the difficult times and a team who work hard for each other.

''That is where Duncan has been so brilliant. There are certain things that he's so crystal clear about that I didn't have in my first series against New Zealand.

''That was just me on my own, and I didn't have a bloke beside me with crystal clear views on selection, fitness and the resting of players - areas I didn't know anything about because I was just a No 3 batsman.''

His great appreciation of Fletcher's contribution is reciprocated, and their success is all the more remarkable considering they had never met before the press conference at Lord's to announce their joint appointments.

Fletcher said: ''I mentioned to him last night that I keep getting flashbacks to when we were walking up the steps to have a photograph taken at Lord's before the press conference, and it was then I realised it was going to be a very difficult job.

''We have a great respect for one another. I don't know why, but the puzzle seems to fit all the time. He manages in a certain way; I manage in a certain way - and we believe in each other's strengths and weaknesses.

''Nasser is a very good listener then he goes away and makes his own decision, which I have always believed makes a good leader.''

l England, the worst Test team on the planet barely 18 months ago, have moved into the top half of the cricketing world for the first time since reckoning began.

Their four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo puts them equal fourth in the Wisden World Championship, the table that has been taken over by the International Cricket Council and will be the basis of the official World Championship which starts in May