Hussain - game is changing Photo Reuters

Quick fire cricket that has seen teams chasing higher and higher totals in the fourth innings of Tests, more result matches and more phenomenal cricket was just a natural progression of the sport, England captain Nasser Hussain said today.

He was commenting on the nature of New Zealander Nathan Astle's innings on the last day of the first Test when New Zealand notched 451 runs, the highest losing Test chase in history, and another record chase by South Africa to beat Australia in Durban yesterday.

It was a natural progression from one-day cricket where people had realised what they could do.

"Maybe a few years ago people didn't realise how much they could run down the wicket and nick the ball out of the ground," he said.

"Now they realise they can so they are putting it into practise in the longer form of cricket.

"I'm not saying it's changed for better or worse. When I started there were people like Vivian Richards who could play like that."

People still played amazing innings but possibly now it had carried over into the Test match arena because the game was moving so quickly.

"There are not that many boring five-day draws any more," he said.

Players were less inclined to play the Geoff Boycott stodgy game of defence and if the game was getting bogged down there were players like Adam Gilchrist who decided that they should do something about it.

"It could have something to do with wickets. That wicket on the last day [in Christchurch], with a small outfield and quick ground was an absolute belter.

"In the old days wickets used to deteriorate and spin used to come into it more, now it seems with these relaid wickets and drop-in wickets they could be getting better and better and not deteriorating as much as they used to.

"There will be times, this may be one, when it turns on the last day, 450 might not be accomplished we will have to wait and see," he said.

It didn't take too much work as a captain on more responsive pitches, but it was harder work on the subcontinent where it was much more necessary to make things happen through captaincy because batsmen were capable of batting all day.

"In England, the wickets are doing more than when I first started. You would have boring 500 plays 600 at Trent Bridge or somewhere whereas they are definitely doing more now on England wickets," Hussain said.

He didn't see why there needed to be four-day Tests. There was something about having to adapt to the different circumstances in a Test when you turned up not knowing what the pitch was going to do, whether the ball was going to swing or seam.

And if there were four-day Tests other changes would come into games such as groundsmen preparing wickets to suit getting a result in four days.

"I think the game has survived quite nicely the way it has and people are adapting to it, I don't think we need to many rule or law changes, it's survived quite happily so far, it's doing pretty well."

However, in regard to the laws he was pleased the ICC was going to have a look at working with new technology for umpires at the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka in September.

"Umpiring has become an issue, there has been a lot of talk about it, replays, there's been a lot of talk. Television has changed the game.

"In the old days you wouldn't have so many replays and umpires weren't under so much pressure so therefore I'm pleased they're having a look at it to see if it will work but it mustn't be rushed in," he said.

Players also understood errors were made by umpires.

He said he was pleased to turn up and see Asoka de Silva and Brent Bowden were the two umpires for the first Test because he felt they were two very good umpires.

"All right, they may have made the odd mistake which they will hold their hands up to, but I wouldn't be afraid of turning up to the next game and seeing exactly the same two umpires."

Cricket was faced with increasing improvement in replay quality and an issue of where the game moved.

"Television is not going to go away so do we help the umpires or not? Possibly they do need some help," he said.

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