Australian one-day player David Hussey has lofty goals for whatever is left of his international cricketing career.
The 34-year-old jokes he has lost his place in the national team “probably 14 times now” and that he will be an old man when Australia and New Zealand host the next World Cup in 2015.
“What would that make me? 56?,” he said.
But an elusive Test debut is no laughing matter for Hussey.
“Every innings is like the last innings for me,” he said.
“If your name pops up at the right time you might get that chance of playing Test cricket … which should be everybody’s goal.”
Hussey starred in Sunday’s one-day win over India at the MCG, belting 61no from 30 balls to help swing the game in Australia’s favour.
He showed superb batting form, with one fearsome straight drive for four a highlight of his knock.
Australia’s next match in this tri series will be on Friday against Sri Lanka in Perth, where Hussey hopes to do much better than his last outing there.
“I can’t really complain about the recent form, although my last innings in Perth was first-ball, so I’ve got to rectify that,” he said.
Like Michael, his older brother and Australian one-day team-mate, Hussey enjoys defying expectations.
“We’re both stubborn people,” he said.
“When people say you’re too old or you’ve lost your form or you’re not good enough to play at the level, you get your back up.
“We’re both very similar in that way, we want to prove people wrong.”
Every time he has lost his place in the national team, Hussey has found a way to fight back.
“It’s one of those things, you spit the dummy for a day or two, offload on your wife and get back on the horse,” he said.
“What keeps you going is that goal of playing for Australia.”
Playing in last year’s World Cup was a career highlight for Hussey and it whetted his appetite to still be in the one-day team for 2015.
“It is realistic … if you keep doing well you give the selectors a hard task to make that phone call to say you’re not in the team,” he said.
A key for Hussey over the last few years is his bowling, which has made the part-time off-spinner more valuable to the team.
India paid dearly through the middle of Australia’s innings on Sunday for too many loose deliveries, enabling the home side to dig themselves out of a hole.
In a one dayer, a part-timer such as Hussey who can send down four or five accurate overs is a handy backup.
“About four years ago, I really wasn’t much of a bowler and I worked hard at it in the nets,” he said.
“Now I open the bowling in T20 cricket, so it’s rather enjoyable.
“It breaks up fielding and keeps you in the game.”
Hussey also praised Victorian team-mate Matthew Wade, who has starred over the last week since his promotion to the Australian team.
“He’s a very classy player and he competes, that’s probably his biggest attribute,” Hussey said.
“Hopefully he’ll be around for 10 to 15 years in all three forms of the game.”
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