CRICKET: The first century of Nasser Hussain's career as a former England captain contained some lovely cover drives and a few narrow escapes, but the moments which characterised it best were those in which he berated himself for sudden lapses of concentration.

Now, more than ever, Hussain knows it is up to him to set a good example.

After dabbing weakly at a ball from Shaun Pollock soon after lunch he punched the back of his bat in fury. Anger was again in evidence shortly before tea, when he smacked the blade after allowing Jacques Kallis to tempt him outside the off-stump.

His self-recrimination paid dividends, as he constructed an innings that, with England in their current state, had crucial implications.

However lengthy Michael Vaughan's tenure as England captain turns out to be, the new man will surely never have cause to be as grateful to his vinegary predecessor as he was last night. Hussain, having failed to make an impact on his return to the ranks at Lord's, yesterday produced a knock that not only helped to rescue his side's innings but also contributed to building a platform from which, given a continuing fair wind, England may yet manage to square the series.

For all the general admiration of his unstinting efforts on England's behalf since he took over the captaincy, there were plenty of people who thought that, having handed in his seals of office, he should not have been invited to stay on as a batsman. As he punched the air in celebration of his century yesterday he was delivering his riposte.

After the early dismissals, first of Vaughan and then of Marcus Trescothick, and with the debutant Ed Smith listed on the scorecard at number five, the responsibility for giving England a respectable total rested squarely on the shoulders of Hussain and Mark Butcher. Their response was in keeping with their very best days in England's service.

Hussain got off the mark with a shot intended to set the tone for his innings, driving Andrew Hall to the cover boundary. But the uncertain state of his form was indicated by the addition of a fourth slip for much of the morning when he had the strike, and there were several occasions when South Africa's bowlers were unlucky not to locate a fatal edge.

But the affection expressed at Lord's was evident in the biggest cheer of the morning, which came when Makhaya Ntini was turned between square-leg and mid-wicket with a shot of emphatic confidence. A brusque pull to the boundary off the same bowler evoked a similar reaction and Hussain's 50 came up when he clipped Hall neatly to the fine-leg boundary.

Generally, however, he seemed content to play a supporting role. Butcher's verve was constantly attracting the eye, particularly in his treatment of Kallis, who was thumped for six fours in three overs midway between lunch and tea in an assault which seemed, finally, to tip the initiative in England's favour.

Butcher's dismissal early in the evening session sent Hussain into his shell and shifted the focus on to the nervy fidgeting of Smith as the new cap faced his first deliveries from South Africa's re-energised bowlers.

This is Hussain's 50th first-class century, his 13th in Test cricket, his third against South Africa and his fourth at Trent Bridge. It is not yet over but, at 35, there may not be many more to come.

Unless things turn bad for England in the next day or two, it will be one that he can remember with a special sense of pride. Yesterday it was, in the very best sense, an ex-captain's innings.

Guardian Service

Ireland A lost their final game of the European Championships in Belfast yesterday, with new champions Scotland winning by 34 runs at Shaw's Bridge.

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