England cricket legend-turned-pundit Nasser Hussain was denied entry to the Gabba due to accreditation problems ahead of the second Ashes Test with Australia
Nasser Hussain’s unfortunate experiences at the Gabba showed no sign of letting up after the England cricket hero was denied entry ahead of the second test against Australia. The 57-year-old was in Brisbane as part of Sky Sports’ coverage of the Ashes, but was denied entry to the Gabba due to an issue with his accreditation.
Fellow ex-England captain Michael Atherton was also at the ground ahead of the second test, but he had no such issues. Hussain told Sky Sports: “They (ground staff) wouldn’t let me in. I mean for everything I’ve done for Australian cricket, at this particular ground (I couldn’t believe it).
“I turned up, showed my accreditation, they wouldn’t let me in, and then about half an hour later, Cricket Australia kindly came down and sorted out my accreditation.”
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That wasn’t the end of the drama for the former England captains, as they were evacuated from the ground shortly after being granted access.
“The moment I got in, we all got kicked out again. There was a fire alarm and fire engines and everything,” Hussain said.
A smoke detector at an outdoor kitchen activated, and firefighters rushed to the stadium, with media and staff spotted outside of the ground after the evacuation.
Hussain has had several disappointing trips to the Gabba, with the most memorable of those coming in the 2002 Ashes campaign.
Hussain won the toss and chose to bowl in blazing-hot conditions and Australia punished England, putting on a huge first-innings total of 492 and sailed to a dominant win.
It’s a moment Hussain can look back at now and laugh, with Australian fans quick to remind him of the poor decision, while England fans have tried to wipe it from their memory.
England have not won a Test match in Brisbane since 1986 and have been tipped to struggled once again. That prediction looked to be coming to fruition after Mitchell Starc took two quick wickets in just nine deliveris.
The Three Lions were 5-2 but fought abck thanks to good innings from Zak Crawley and Joe Root who put on 117 runs.
You can follow all the action from the Gabba in our live blog here.
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