"England's progress under Hussain's captaincy in the last 12 months has been spectacular. I'm proud of the standards he has set as the figurehead of English cricket," said former England captain Ian Botham in the Daily Mirror.

Hussain's team beat Pakistan by six wickets in the third test on Monday after an astonishing final day's play in which they bowled out the home side then reached their victory target in near darkness to win the three-match series 1-0.

"Let me tell you, that's one stunning victory to win in Pakistan," former England coach David Lloyd told the Daily Telegraph.

"There is some steel back in the side led by Hussain, who is becoming a great captain. He motivates the players, doesn't take any nonsense and is not afraid to bawl them out," he added.

Mike Gatting, who led England to two series defeats in Pakistan in the 1980s, said: "This team is a team now. To me they have come through a huge test. They have done it around the team and contributed in all areas."

Chairman of the England board of selectors David Graveney said he was not wholly surprised by the dramatic triumph:

"We always thought we could have a chance of winning the series if we could get a score on the board in our first innings. To win this match from the position we were in after the first day is something to be really proud of."

He also praised his skipper, who was the victim of some controversial umpiring during the series:

"Decisions have gone against him and I think he's done a fantastic job of being captain of England."

Graveney's predecessor Ray Illingworth, who has been highly critical of the England side in the past, was also impressed with the victory:

"It is a tremendous win, whichever way you look at it, a bloody good win. I think Pakistan got it wrong by preparing the wrong wickets - putting all their hopes in spin. With Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in the side they would have been better tackling it with seamers. It would have been a more interesting series too," he added.

Pakistan and their captain also came under fire from Wasim Raja, who resigned as coach of the national side last year:

"I was embarrassed by Moin Khan's time-wasting tactics. If Pakistan can't win then they should play fair. He was so negative and I think he lacked imagination throughout the series," he said in The Times.

"Captaincy is our biggest problem - everyone wants to be captain. We are not a team but 11 individuals," he added.