Wisden overview
James Foster has followed Nasser Hussain's career path with uncanny precision, aside from a brief schoolboy flirtation with international tennis. Another alumnus of Forest School in Snaresbrook, East London, he took indoor coaching from Nasser's dad Joe, before progressing through Durham University to a county career with Essex. Little wonder that Hussain has smiled on his rapid emergence as Robert Rollins's successor, and backed his promotion - after only 23 first-class games - to the England vacancy left by Alec Stewart's refusal to tour India in 2001-02. No-one denies that Foster has great promise. He is balanced and organised with the bat, and a smooth operator with the gloves. He opened his international account against Zimbabwe in October 2001 by stumping both Flower brothers within three balls, and later that year he showed plenty of gumption on his maiden Test tour to India. After enduring a nightmarish Test debut at Mohali he struck back with two important innings, and showed signs of the single-minded commitment he will need to bypass the learning curve of the first-class game. But poor one-day form with both bat and gloves led to him losing his place during the series against New Zealand. Simon Briggs

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