Gatting was captain for England's last Ashes win in Australia

Hussain said the appointment of Gatting, together with that of Hugh Morris, "smacked of jobs for the boys".

But Gatting told BBC Radio 5Live: "I would ask Nasser to give us a chance.

"Obviously that's Nasser's initial view and let's hope we can change it. If nothing happens and we get nothing done then feel free to have a go."

Gatting was asked to be managing director cricket partnerships - a role which seeks to improve communication between the first-class counties and the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The former Middlesex batsman is also charged with improving standards within club cricket.

Gatting said: "The bottom end, which I am doing, from grass roots through to first-class level... you want somebody, I would have thought, who understands what's going on at the lower level."

606: DEBATE What do you think of the new appointments?

The Schofield review group - which included Hussain - recommended 19 steps to improve the state of English cricket following the Ashes whitewash and failure in the World Cup.

But Hussain believes the ECB has shown a lack of imagination in appointing Gatting and Morris, who is English cricket's new supremo.

He wrote in his Daily Mail column: "I am disappointed. The ECB do not appear to have searched beyond their own backyard."

"We were told they were going to search the world for the best people to fill the new senior jobs advocated by the report.

"But this smacks of the ECB being desperate not to rock the boat nor bring in anyone who might question how they do things."

Morris is due to fly to Sri Lanka on Monday to meet coach Peter Moores.

Under the new structure, as managing director of England, he will choose his own selection panel in due course.

He may choose to change an existing structure in which Moores is one of three selectors.

Once on tour, the starting XIs are picked by the coach and captain - a system which was criticised in last winter's Ashes series.