By Justin Chadwick
November 20th 2009 @ 1:34am
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Hussey has one eye on Ashes after holding Test spot
Veteran batsman Mike Hussey has set his sights on helping Australia regain the Ashes next year after clinging on to his spot for the first Test against the West Indies.
Hussey’s fighting 121 at The Oval last August followed by a glut of runs in the one-day arena convinced selectors there was still life left in the 34-year-old, who on Thursday was named in Australia’s 12-man squad for the first Test at the Gabba.
While acknowledging he would have to fight hard to keep his place for the whole three-Test series against the West Indies, Hussey declared his intention of playing on until at least next year’s home Ashes campaign against England.
“I’d love to be there, definitely,” Hussey said on Thursday.
“I’ll be doing everything I can and trying to score as many runs as possible to be part of that team.
“To lose an Ashes series certainly gives you that burning desire to win the Ashes back.
“So yeah I’ve definitely got no plans to be finishing before that.”
Hussey, who went 28 Test innings without scoring a century before snapping back to form at The Oval, said he was quietly confident he would retain his spot in the Test side.
“I had read some of Ricky’s comments that he was always very supportive and it sounded like he was backing me so that gave me confidence coming into today,” he said.
“I don’t know if relief was the right word but I’m very happy to be part of the 12 and excited about the summer ahead.
“It would be nice to get a big score in the first couple of Tests to really slam it home.”
Hussey said he had mixed feelings about being rested from Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria.
“I would have loved to have had a four-day game to see the red ball and get into that four-day mode of playing,” he said.
“But having said that the one-day series in India, it’s a very mentally and physically draining place to play.
“I was definitely quite fatigued by the end of that series.
“I was very thankful for the week at home.
“I don’t really get much time with the family so it’s been nice to take the mind completely off the game for a week and spend some time with the kids and enjoy that home life that I have been craving a bit over the last 12 months.”
Hussey plundered 313 runs at 104.33 during Australia’s 4-2 one-day series win in India and said there was no reason why that form couldn’t be carried over into the Test arena.
“It’s all batting really,” he said.
“Apart from the last five or 10 overs of a one-day game I don’t change my game too much.
“The basics of my game are pretty much standard in the two formats.”
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(3)
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:53am | Report comment
its a disgrace that hussey is in the team… his runs in the last test meant nothing…
Fisher Price said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:49am | Report comment
Like Hayden and Symonds before him (and seemingly now Watson), Hussey is part of Ponting’s inner-rectum and, as such, a protected species.
Hussey can crow on all he likes about how his batting is similar in both forms of the game; fact is, the bowling, pressure, pitch conditions and field placements differ considerably.
Just as Hayden should never have gone to England in 2005, Hussey should have missed out this year. One century in 28 innings (and that was in a losing cause). Unbelievable.
Australia has lost 3 of its past 5 Test series. You wouldn’t know it from the spin coming from messrs Ponting, Nielsen and Hilditch
Justin said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:29am | Report comment
The selectors have shown their incompetence yet again. Talk about looking short term.
We all know Watson is not a Test opener and if he is going to bowl 10-12 overs a day he must bat in the middle-lower order. Hughes should be back in the side with Hussey dropped IMO (should have been before the last Ashes Test). His last inings shows 100 plus but from memory he had 3 lives, hardly a convincing knock.
Yet again the selectors are using ODIs as the basis of their selections for Test matches. They are such different games as FP has stated with different rules, field placings and pressure.