London, July 10: Former England captain Alec Stewart on Tuesday ruled himself out of contention for the role of skipper in Nasser Hussain's absence.

Hussain will be out for three weeks after fracturing the little finger of his left hand in last week's first Ashes Test defeat by Australia at Edgbaston.

He will miss the second Test at Lord's and an announcement about a replacement captain will be made by the selectors later this week.

Stewart, one of three names on the selectors' shortlist which also includes Michael Atherton and Marcus Trescothick has more than 100 Tests under his belt and led England for a year as the immediate predecessor to Hussain.

He steered them to a series victory over South Africa three summers ago, but lost the role after England's dismal World Cup exit in 1999.

Yet despite his vast experience at international level, the 38-year-old Stewart said taking on the role of captain for a second time would be a step in the wrong direction.

"There's been some speculation that I might become captain again, but I wouldn't take the job back if it was offered," Stewart confirmed.

"I think it's time to move on. I've been captain and done everything that's been asked of me and I think it's better to look to the future now, so I won't be putting my hand up for the job.