England captain Nasser Hussain has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List, announced today.

Hussain took over the captaincy at one of the low points of English cricket, after the 1999 World Cup. He was unable to turn things around immediately but, with the not to be underrated assistance of coach Duncan Fletcher, Hussain has been responsible for a definite resurgence in England's Test performances.

He was in charge when England achieved four consecutive series wins, against Zimbabwe and West Indies at home and then Pakistan and Sri Lanka away. The Ashes campaign against Australia last summer was a huge disappointment but then, with a seriously depleted team, Hussain's England gave a good account of themselves in narrowly losing to India in the recently completed series.

The OBE announcement comes at a time when reports suggest that Hussain might be considering standing down from the captaincy after the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Should he lead England to success in that competition, or in the Ashes series in Australia that precedes it, he might reasonably expect another visit to Buckingham Palace.

One other cricketing personality features in the Honours List. Former England captain Tony Lewis is appointed a CBE at the age of 63 for services to broadcasting, Wales and cricket among other sports.

© CricInfo