Hussain is not planning to call it a day for a long while yet

Nasser Hussain has revealed a renewed desire to captain England's Test team well beyond the winter.

He says he wants to play in 100 Tests, which for him means another 19 matches.

But he has also warned that if his team are beaten by South Africa in the summer, the whole of English cricket will need to take a "hard look" at itself.

Having given up the one-day captaincy to concentrate on the Test role, Hussain has become more interested in milestones.

Writing in his Sunday Telegraph column, he said he wanted to become England's longest-serving and most successful Test captain.

"I want to captain England in more Test matches than anyone else and above all I want to captain England in more Test victories than anybody else," he said.

The five Tests against South Africa are going to be the most important of my career to date Nasser Hussain

The 35-year-old has captained his country 42 times with only Michael Atherton (54) ahead of him.

He is third on the all-time list for victories with 15, behind Mike Brearley (18) and Peter May (20).

"When I was younger, I wasn't a stats man but, the nearer you get to these milestones, the more important they become," added Hussain.

Apart from his personal ambitions, though, Hussain knows his side's home Tests this English summer are vitally important.

"The main responsibility is to get England playing like we did before the tour of Australia."

The last time they played Test cricket they were thumped 4-1 in Australia.

"We have become a pretty hard side to beat for everyone except Australia.

"That is why the five Tests against South Africa are going to be the most important of my career to date.

Perspective

"If we can beat them, we can say we have done well against every country apart from Australia, and it will put last winter into perspective and show that Australia are a unique quantity.

"If we lose - and I think the series will go to the wire - we will have to have a hard look at ourselves.

"Not just the 11 members of the team or the players who are centrally-contracted players, but the whole of our domestic cricket too, from grassroots to the highest level."

Before the South Africa series there are two Tests against Zimbabwe.

The first Test against Heath Streak's team at Lord's starts on May 22.