Hussey bids adieu to international Cricket
The Australian middle order batsman has called it a day from international Cricket. The new year Test between Australia and Sri Lanka will be his 79th Test and his final international appearance for Australia.
Fondly called as Mr.Cricket by his fans, Hussey is known for his consistency across all formats. Though he started late, he was more of a run machine for Australian cricket. He was Australia’s 393rd Test cap when he debuted at the age of 30. In ODIs, he was seen as a successor of Michael Bevan – the best finisher Australian cricket ever had. When he left the void, Hussey stepped in and did no harm.
He came into limelight when he notched up two back to back centuries in his debut series against West Indies. He was cool and was calm like a sea whenever he stepped on to the ground. His stunning average of 51.52 in Tests and 48.15 in ODIs speaks volumes of his credibility.
In the shortest format, he didn’t get a perfect position. He came at 3rd position in the recently concluded t2o world cup while was a finisher in the previous World Cup. In a nerve biting 2010 T20 WC semifinal, Hussey had hammerd 21 runs in the last over against Pakistan’s mystery spinner Ajmal to guide Australia to a World Cup final.
Mr Sutherland announced Hussey’s retirement on Saturday. “An incredibly reliable player and leader within the Australian cricket team, Michael will retire from Test cricket with a record that puts him amongst the very best Australian batsmen of all time.Beyond his contributions to team success, he will be remembered for the way he has carried himself on and off the field – and in doing so he has won the respect and admiration of players, officials and fans all around the world.” Mr Sutherland said
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Avg | 50/100 | Best | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 78 | 135 | 6183 | 51.52 | 29/19 | 195 |
| ODIs | 185 | 157 | 5442 | 48.15 | 39/3 | 109* |
| T20Is | 38 | 30 | 721 | 37.94 | 4/0 | 60* |
Apart from batting, he puts his 100 percent on the field. He was as active as a youngster. He was one of the reliable fielders in the Australian line up and took 206 international catches. He would always be a man hard to replace.
For all cricket fans, the year 2012 would have been hard as cricketing heroes like Dravid, Laxman, Boucher, Ponting, Sachin (in ODIs) and now Hussey have announced retirement.