An English Murali please

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain said on Friday that the national team's prospects in the world game would be vastly improved if they could find a magician like Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.

Hussain, who stepped down as captain in July, said that England's lack of quality spin bowlers was a real area for concern and that more should be done to produce "our own Muralitharan."

"There aren't many wrist spinners playing in county cricket, let's address that problem because that's the sort of bowling that is taking wickets now," Hussain told BBC Five Live.

"We need a real magician with the ball to make us a much better side. And I would also like to see more genuine quick bowlers.

"Where is our next 400-Test-wicket-taking bowler going to come from?"

Hussain's comments came after suggestions that the number of county championship games should be reduced in order to preserve the effectiveness of the national team.

"Angus Fraser, Darren Gough and Andy Caddick could all have go on to take 400 wickets for England," he said.

"But they bowled so much in the nets and for their counties that they wasted balls they could have been bowling for England."

Hussain also revealed he quit the England captaincy in July after realising he had given the role everything he could.

His resignation came after the first Test against South Africa and gave replacement skipper Michael Vaughan little time to prepare.

But Hussain said he could not have hung on until after the second Test at Lord's.

"I had nothing left in me at all. The tank was completely empty after all I went through in the last few months of my captaincy," Hussain said.

"I cherished the job too much to carry on just for the sake of doing it. It was someone else's turn."