Michael Hussey knows he won’t be batting for long when he walks onto the MCG on Thursday morning.
He also knows that every extra minute he can stay out there and every run he scores will be vital to Australia’s chances of pulling off an unlikely first Test victory against India.
Hussey is one of the few Australian batsmen to earn his keep in a match that has swerved wildly from side to side in its first three days.
But in the final session of the third day, things bounced his way as he produced an innings that may well have saved his cricket career.
Denied his chance by an incorrect decision on day one when given out for a duck, Hussey is virtually guaranteed of being Australia’s top scorer in the second innings.
The West Australian left hander held the Australian innings together with an unbeaten 79.
He returns to the crease on Thursday with Australia at 8-179, with rookie fast bowler James Pattinson for company and with only Ben Hilfenhaus to come.
After three days, Australia leads India by 230 runs.
And with the MCG wicket expected to favour the bowlers on the final two days, the home side is still in the match despite some woeful batting.
Of the 10 players to bat so far in the second innings, only two – Hussey and Ricky Ponting – have made double figures.
But the bowlers have kept Australia’s hopes alive.
With India resuming its first innings on Wednesday at 3-214, Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Pattinson claimed the visitors’ final seven wickets by lunch for 68 runs.
Then began an Australian collapse.
The first four batsmen scored a total of 17 runs and when Hussey joined Ponting in the middle Australia had lost 4-27.
Together they added 115 before Ponting was out for 60.
Then came another fainting spell as the next three wickets fell for 24.
For India, bowling newcomer Umesh Yadav has done most of the damage, finishing the day with 4-49 after taking 3-106 in the first innings.
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