No stopping Hussey
Even before he was an international player, Andrew Flintoff called him Mr. Cricket. Such was his hard work, he even drove his batting coach Ian Kevan to the ground in one epic session in his teens, inspired by his childhood idol.
Michael Hussey, in an extensive interview with The Daily Star Sport's Mohammad Isam, talks about his adjustments, the long wait, the pride of the baggy green, some of his great knocks and what keeps him going even at the age of 35.
Daily Star Sport (DSS): Have you ever seen so many sixes in one innings?
Michael Hussey (MH): Not really (laughs). I haven't seen hitting like that since probably Adam Gilchrist in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka.
Shane Watson has been in amazing form in the last two years and I hope he can continue on.
DSS: How do you see your future as an international player?
MH: I haven't looked too much into the future at the moment, I'm just concentrating on now. I want to keep going as much as I can because it took me so long to get one game for Australia and I want to play as many as I possibly can.
I still feel I can contribute to the team. I'm hoping to keep playing for a while.
DSS: Throughout your career, you have adjusted so well, be it your lack of height in the early days or being a middle-order batsman from being an opener. How do you do that?
MH: I don't know (smiles), I'm probably still learning. I think I was lucky that I had to play a lot of first-class cricket so I learned a lot about the game of cricket, about batting and learned a lot about my own game, in first-class cricket and county cricket before coming into the international scene.
So I had a good understanding of my own game before coming to international cricket. I think that really helped as I came into international cricket. That can be the difference between success and failure.
DSS: How did you keep yourself going when you couldn't break into the national team for all those years?
MH: It was tough at times, definitely. Maybe if I'm honest, I thought that my time has passed and wasn't going to get a chance to play for Australia.
I probably, through certain stages, tried too hard and put too much pressure on myself and trained too hard. When I just relaxed and just went back to enjoy the game and play in my way, that's when the opportunity came.
DSS: What would you tell youngsters on how to handle instant fame and pressure?
MH: I don't know about handling fame as I keep a low profile. I don't seek out that sort of stuff.
Handling the pressure is a big, big thing. For me personally, I know my game and know how I need to prepare. So I really just focus on those things.
I don't let the media or any outside pressures or distractions come into my mind. I just concentrate on what's important for preparing well for every game. I make sure my things are right to give myself the best chance to do well.
DSS: What is your favourite format?
MH: Test cricket, because it is the pinnacle. It's the hardest game and you are tested on so many different levels -- skills, tactics, mentally and physically.
That's where you are judged by your peers, plus we get to play with the baggy green cap on so it is very special.
DSS: You started off very well in international cricket and then tapered off in 2009. There are youngsters in Bangladesh who have had similar paths…
MH: I was pretty philosophical about it. I couldn't believe the start I had myself. I thought, 'this can't last forever'.
There's always going to be a time in cricket when things won't go your way. I was prepared for that but again I didn't let all the external things come into my mind.
I kept working hard at my game, kept doing the basics well, focussing on my preparation and having faith in that. I knew that if I kept doing things, success would come back again my way.
DSS: Going back to your childhood days, you used to be a right-hander and I believe you saw Allan Border and converted yourself into a left-hander…
MH: When I was about 7 or 8 I think I changed. Yes, I used to be a right-hander and Allan Border was my idol. I wanted to bat like him. I watched him on TV and loved the way he went about his cricket.
He never gave his wicket away, he was always passionate about the way he played. He was tough and determined and I wanted to be like him, so I tried it and stuck with it.
DSS: He once told you to prepare yourself by batting for six hours in the nets…
MH: That's a true story as well. He was coach of Australia A and he said, "How do you expect to bat all day when you don't practise all day?"
I stupidly took it literally and batted a whole day in the nets.
DSS: Do you practise six hours a day now?
MH: Not anymore, I only did that once in my life. That was enough, I was exhausted.
DSS: How do you get along with your brother (David) these days? I've read that you guys had lots of fights when you were little.
MH: It's a lot better now than when we were kids (laughs). We used to fight when we used to play backyard cricket. I think that's where we got our competitive spirit. Our backyard test matches were very hotly-contested.
Obviously now we are all grown up, he lives in Melbourne, I live in Perth so we don't get to see each other as much as we used to. We probably get on a lot better now than when we were kids.
DSS: What is it about brothers playing for Australia?
MH: I think we just love sport in Australia, whether it is Aussie Rules Football or cricket. I think the Waugh brothers were good at soccer as well.
In Australia, we are brought up on a lot of sport. Mum and dad told us to get out and kick a Footy or play cricket, so it probably just grew from there.
DSS: This February, there were calls for your retirement and later it was denied. How did you take that?
MH: Again, I don't take too much notice of what critics are saying on the outside. I just concentrate on what I have got to do.
I hadn't thought about retiring at all, because it took me so long to get me one game. I still feel like I am fit and enjoying challenge in the middle. I still want to keep playing.
DSS: What would be your favourite innings?
MH: Geez, it's hard to say. If you can be out there to hit the winning runs for Australia, that is probably the most special.
There are probably a couple that springs to mind. One of them being the Twenty20 semifinal against Pakistan; that was a pretty amazing feeling.
Also the Test match in Adelaide (against England in 2006), I only got 60-odd but I hit the winning runs. That was probably the best feeling I've had on a cricket field.
DSS: In that Twenty20 innings against Pakistan last year, what was going through your mind in that last over?
MH: I'm not sure I believed 100 per cent. There was no fear and I swung hard and luckily for me it came off.
DSS: Do you like the nickname Mr. Cricket?
MH: It's not something I really enjoy. There are more Mr. Crickets out there than me: Murali for one, he loves the game very much.
Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne as well; it is not something that sits well with me but I guess there can be a lot worse nicknames.
DSS: How do you see the progress of the Bangladesh cricket team?
MH: I think they definitely progressed. They are getting better and better all the time. I think there looks to be more expectation now on the team, which is good.
I think there level has improved in the last two years. Hopefully, it continues to improve. It takes time but they have got the making of some really good players there. If they can get consistent, I think they're going to be the next Sri Lanka.
When Sri Lanka first came in they were inconsistent but now they are obviously one of the world's best teams and I think Bangladesh will go in the same path.
DSS: You are now part of the new era of Australian cricket. How do you see yourself in it?
MH: I need to lead by example and keep doing the things I do. I have to show the younger guys that they stick to their own game, make sure what your game is and be passionate about playing for Australia.
DSS: How do you like to be remembered?
MH: Just someone who was passionate about the game, loved playing for Australia; was cool under pressure. Mainly, someone who was a good team man.
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