Moeen Ali became the first Muslim and British Asian to captain England in T20 International last night.

Standing in for Eoin Morgan he said, "It's an absolute honour to captain your country". A wonderful acheivement by a classy player but twenty years earlier there was a certain Nasser Hussain.

Hussain succeeded Mike Atherton as England captain in 1999 and led England in forty-five Test matches. He oversaw the re-emergence of England as a competitive force and led them to four consecutive Test series victories and a rise to third in the Test rankings.

Born to Shia-Muslim parents in Madras, India, he moved to England when was a young child. His father, Raza Jawad 'Joe' Hussain, was an Indian Tamil-speaking Muslim.

It was a fact that seemed to have been overlooked by the most ardent of England fans.