Stewart can fill Nasser's boots

Graham Thorpe welcomed England's decision to appoint Alec Stewart as stand-in captain in the absence of injured Nasser Hussain for the opening Test.  

Surrey left-hander Thorpe was considered to be the natural choice to lead the side after Hussain suffered a broken thumb for the second successive season and will be sidelined for at least a month.

But the selectors instead opted for Stewart, Hussain's predecessor as captain, for the remainder of the Test having made the decision before the match started.

"It was something we brought up before the game," Thorpe told Channel 4's website. "Past experience has taught us that these things can happen.

"It was something I brought up within our management structure because I thought it would be good that if the person who has to stand in knows about it before the game.

"Duncan Fletcher came back the other morning and said that Stewie would take over if anything happened to Nass and that was fine with me.

"He's done it before and knows what to do and to be honest both of us are short term options anyway and as long as the team are comfortable with it is all that I'm bothered about."

Thorpe stressed: "I wasn't upset not to be asked and the important thing to me is that we all know where we stand before something like this happens.

"It makes a difference to how you watch and read the game when you are vice-captain. As number two you are looking at the game from a tactical point of view whereas when you are a player you are just looking at it as a man in the field.

"It's a blow what has happened to Nass, but to have someone like Stewie fitting in so easily is good for the team and I would imagine that having been given the stripes here he will do the job at Old Trafford."

He added: "It's a knock to lose Nasser at this stage. His batting is looking good and tactically he is a good captain, but we have to get on with it because these things can happen.

"This tests how good we are. It will test us to the full losing players like Craig White and Hussain from a side that has been together continuously for over a year or so. It's going to have a little bit of an affect on us - it's a setback but one that good sides come back from.

"Nass has had this happen to him before and this is the last thing he would have wanted. To come back after four weeks out of the game will be difficult and it's a shame for him and the team."