“I wanted to play, but you can’t have everything”.
The words of Michael Hussey to Channel Nine after being disgracefully dumped by the national selectors from the One Day International (ODI) squad for the first two games against Sri Lanka at the MCG on Friday, and Adelaide on Sunday.
“It’s futile to extend the 37-year-old’s career,” was one of selection chairman John Inverarity’s pathetic comments.
The reaction from the 10,000-plus at the SCG yesterday sounded more like 40,000 supporting Mike Hussey.
“Futile” from Inverarity’s point of view. Total support from the SCG patrons who obviously know their cricket better than the chairman and his four selection colleagues.
The Hussey charisma took a lot of the sting out of his dumping, he’s a gentleman to the marrow of his bones, while Inverarity sat in the stand with Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards, going through some left-arm bowling actions, totally oblivious to the fact he has become the joke of Australian cricket.
Let’s look to Friday at the MCG with Michael Clarke, David Warner, and Matthew Wade rested, and Mike Hussey dumped. What will the crowd be like with so much talent not on show?
Last night there was an Australian domestic record 46,581 crowd for the Melbourne BBL local derby between the Stars and the Renegades, which erupted into open warfare between Shane Warne and Marlon Samuels.
That warfare was a side issue, the 46,581 is the real issue.
On Friday, with Clarke, Warner, Wade, and Hussey missing, will there be less than 46,581?
Or will Melbourne fans, the best in the world, vote with their feet to watch Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, and Phil Hughes – selected as the future of Australian ODI cricket – strut their stuff?
It’s a big punt.
Not that Inverarity would care, his job is to select national teams in three formats, a job in which he is falling well short of the pass mark. His public explanations are even worse.
Let’s see what the backlash to Hussey’s dumping produces for the last eight ODIs of the season.
If Inverarity sticks to his guns and leaves Hussey out altogether, there will be increasing demands for the chairman to be dumped. And valid demands at that.
Inverarity is now between a rock and a hard place, with no-one to blame but himself.
The sad net result is the treatment dished out to Hussey, without peer in the respect shown to him by team-mates, opposition, and fans all round the world.
Mike Hussey didn’t deserve such shabby treatment. It leaves a bad taste.
The Kebab Connoisseur
Guest
Time for new selectors. Ian Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh. The rest are just puppets of Cricket Australia.
Behold
Roar Rookie
Agree Josh, Warners selection in most formats has been unwarranted. Picked more on hope and whim than actual results. His ODI and ODD record is poor and he shouldn't be in the team. He is still developing the in between gear needed for ODI cricket and should be developing that in domestic cricket rather than International cricket. He hasn't been all the good in t20s recently either (from memory) but the marketers will have him there for them.
Rob
Guest
Check his record. One day batsmanship is not only about putting bat on ball. Its about running between wickets, assessing the situation, assessing overs left, assessing what bowlers have overs left, remaining batsmen, assessing the big picture. (not his average like some) etc. Its called intelligence, and class. And nobody does it better! (not a bad fieldsman etiher) Who is the best ODI batsmen for Oz?
WW
Guest
siddle played 17 odi's if he had a poor record after 50 or 100 odi's i'd agree and mckays record is not 'very very good'. its 'good' in that its been fine... but he just is NOT one of the best bowlers in the country.
Disco
Roar Guru
Quite so.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
What's Ross Taylor doing these days?
Matt F
Roar Guru
Then the argument should be that he belongs in our best XI not that crowds will drop. I'm sure if they selected Warne the crowd would increase but it doesn't mean that they should pick him (his recent suspension might be a problem though!) The selectors job is to do what's best for team both now and in the near future, not to increase crowd numbers. There is a very good debate to have regarding whether they're correct or not in dropping Hussey and I think the talk about crowds distracts from the more valid arguments.
Brendon
Guest
lol nice, don't they drop world class captains over the ditch?
Brendon
Guest
+1
Brendon
Guest
Maybe he didn't realise just how the selectors would react to the decision, he said he wanted to play. He seems like a good bloke and I think if he was a selector, he wouldn't have made that decision. Nice guys aye, often finish last.
Brendon
Guest
I'm not sure you can say that dropping a guy that brings people through the gate while he is in the best XI is in the best interests of game already in trouble.
Brendon
Guest
How's that Richmond thing going for you Cam? Booked your holidays for September yet....said with a cheeky smile. I say you stop supporting Richmond because at some stage you'd like to see your team win a GF and that ain't the Tigers MO.
Brendon
Guest
I love the one dayers, what's not to love? all day cricket and we get a result more often than not. Maybe we could cut them to 40 overs and reduce the amount of games per year, tests are still the premium form of the game. This team is actually pretty good, bar a few selections I don't agree with, still if Warner isn't opening....I ain't paying.
Brendon
Guest
WW, you go to far, you called Matt F a Goose yesterday and your arguments are often poorly constructed rants, if you can't play without chucking your toys out of the pram every time someone has a different point of view, then you shouldn't play at all. Long live the Roar and everyone's right to an opinion, regardless if it's the same as my own.
Matt F
Roar Guru
Ah I forgot about Wade. How silly of me! Make that two players being rested. Still it's happened before
Brendon
Guest
Surely you're just playing the wind up merchant here Josh, Warner shouldn't be picked? so he can be one of the best T20 bats in the world, has just scored four consecutive half centuries in a row at a quick clip in tests, but can't get the nod for the one day series? must be a wind up because you can't be serious and stats aren't everything, he'll be back for the third game no worries.
Brendon
Guest
Wade is being rested also, which I think is silly
Brendon
Guest
Does form count as a reason? last time I checked he's in great nick, how about experience in an inexperienced line up, or what about plain old let's not treat a champ like dirt. The NSP is something else
Josh
Guest
The thing about Warner being rested is that he has a particulary poor record in ODI for Australia and hasn't for me demonstarted he should have been picked - I assumed he just wasn't picked as opposed to rested
Matt F
Roar Guru
I feel you've missed the main point of my above comment. My point wasn't nescessarily that the selectors have made the right call. I'm saying that any argument for supporting Hussey should not be based on commercial factors but should be based on the suces of the team. people saying that we should pick Hussey because the crowds will be bigger are picking him for the wrong reason. The selectors have decided that dropping him is best for the team. Whether you agree or disagree with that is a fair debate to have, but not really relevant to the point I was making.