Delegate, Nasser. Don't quit

Third Test: Hussain has made his mistakes, but he needs support from his lieutenants ? support he isn't getting

For the first time in the three and a half years they have spent controlling and directing English cricket, Nasser Hussain and Duncan Fletcher are under pressure. With an Ashes campaign, like their England side, disintegrating about their feet, the resolve and ability of their partnership is being tested to the limit.

On the brink of their third humiliating defeat in a row the inevitable calls for Hussain to go are beginning to be heard around the press and commentary boxes. There is no doubt that England look like a side playing to a script written in green and gold, and for allowing that to happen Hussain and Fletcher are both accountable and responsible.

But to suggest that the captain should go in the middle of a Test series when there is no viable alternative is a foolish over-reaction. The fact that Hussain and Fletcher have made mistakes cannot be hidden, but more good has happened than bad during their time in charge. That cannot be said for many recent regimes.

This winter's blunders started when Graham Thorpe and Darren Gough were selected in the original 16-man Ashes tour party, and as possessors of the strongest of voices at selection the captain and coach were guilty of at least letting the mistake be made. It is not using hindsight to suggest that with their recent track records, the pair were never likely still to be in Australia by December and neither is.

Selecting Gough and Thorpe was not only a risk but a desperate measure. In taking it Hussain and Fletcher increased the danger of the tour getting off to a negative start, which is the last thing you need out here. It does not take much to start the Aussies pulling holes in everything you do.

Hussain has had his problems on the field too. Electing to field in Brisbane is a decision he will live with for the rest of his career. He is due at least some sympathy, though, because of the way his players have let him down with a lack of both discipline and determination in the way they have played their cricket.

The saying that a captain is only as good as his bowlers has rung especially true here because Hussain has had to work with an attack which has not been able to do the basics right. It does not matter what field you set if the bowlers do not bowl to it. In the same way that poor bowling can make the best fields in the world look ridiculous, good bowling can turn an ordinary leader into a legend.

Hussain is a good captain, even though criticism should be aimed at the way he works with his bowlers. In his desire to get things right and never let the batsman settle, he puts his bowlers under pressure by constantly tinkering with the field and their lines of attack. And even though it is better to have an active captain rather than a reactive one, there are times when a young and inexperienced bowler needs to concentrate on just bowling the same ball 42 times out of 42 in a seven-over spell.

England, however, are not the only side to get roasted in Australia. Bar New Zealand, who drew 0-0 here a year ago, such treatment has been dished out to almost every visitor in the last seven years. And in the fall-out, a lot of what has been achieved by Hussain and Fletcher is being overlooked.

They first came together following England's disastrous summer of 1999. At that time, following an embarrassing World Cup campaign and a demoralising 2-1 home defeat to New Zealand, England were ranked the worst side in the world. After four Tests in charge the England captain had the ignominy of being booed when he stood on The Oval balcony.

Having never met before the press conference announcing Fletcher's appointment, they formed a strong working relationship. While Hussain supplied the fire and passion, Fletcher was the cool, calming influence in the background.

Their first working experience was a tour of South Africa. England lost 2-1 with a squad that neither had a great deal of input into. This, however, was a prelude to four successive series victories. The first two were at home against Zimbabwe and West Indies. Then during the winter of 2000-01 Hussain and Fletcher achieved their most notable feat to date: series wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

This is the 12th series and the 41st match the pair have controlled and their record is pretty good, especially if the two losing series against Australia are taken into account. England have won five series, drawn three and lost four, assuming they are about to lose this one. No longer bottom of the heap, they now sit in the pack. All are light years away from the world champions.

Such a record may not be getting the team as close as some would like to the England and Wales Cricket Board's mission of havingthe best side in the world by 2007. But removing the captain or coach now would make that even less likely than it already is.

Hussain, of course, could take such a decision away from the ECB by resigning. Watching him in the field and at press conferences on this tour, his anxiety and frustration are clear to see. Every move or gesture he makes is analysed with a microscope. But no matter how much all this may be getting to him, stepping down now is an avenue he should not even contemplate. All he has achieved would be wasted. He would be viewed as a quitter, and that is something he is not.

If anything, Hussain cares too much and takes too much responsibility on his shoulders. He may try, but he cannot do it all by himself and even though it is difficult, when nothing appears to be going your way, he almost needs to take a step back and lighten up.

To delegate he needs a few more good, solid people around him. They need to share the rap, but not many appear to be jumping forward. At the end of this tour Hussain will put his hand up and accept responsibility. I do not know who else will, and that is why he is still the only man to captain England.