Mike Hussey - Just How Great Is He

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by greg

Come back after Hussey has played over 50 tests and then we can talk about him properly.

Hussey notching up Tests against mediocre opposition isn't necessarily going to prove ANYTHING: what he needs is properly testing by higher quality opposition on some genuinely sporting wickets. Quality of innings, rather than quanity of innings, should be the basis for judgement.

Prolonged high returns say more about powers of concentration and quality of judgement than about class... but quality of play when facing the toughest opposition should form a basis for making more subjective (and more constructive) judgements about whether he's fit to mention in the same breath as Lara:

1. How late does he play the ball?

2. How soft are his hands?

3. How balanced, still and well positioned is he for each shot (feet, head, otherwise)?

4. Does he over-commit to shots (leaving him unable to adjust)?

5. How straight does he play when facing the new ball (backlift, follow-through)?

6. How well does he leave the new ball?

7. Does he have the wristy shots to pick the gaps and rotate the strike when facing the old ball?

8. How is his touch and improvisation?

One does not, of course, have to excel equally in all areas... and (for instance) I'd not mark down any opener for being indifferent when it came to playing wristy shots and improvising... but I'd mark Lara highly on all of the above.

That said... one should be able to come up with "eligibility for consideration" criteria:

If a batsman favours the front foot, or routinely ends up playing around a prematurely planted front foot, or plays front foot swats rather than back foot swivel-pulls and swivel-hooks, he's not fit to be mentioned in these terms. Likewise if he doesn't have the footwork to get to the pitch of the ball and get his head over the ball when playing the spinners... or if he tends to reach for the ball on the drive, or favours the square cut rather than the late cut.

That still leaves plenty of scope: one can do all the above with a high (typical Aussie) or low (typical English) backlift, whilst jumping around at the crease (like Lara) or whilst seemingly asleep (like Inzi), and whether one is comparatively small (Tendulkar, Jayawardene) or huge (again Inzi).

We should have some red lines though... and those should rule out players for consideration as "greats".

[Kangaroo-King]

Originally Posted by Warne

Hussey is 10 times the batsman Adams ever was though, with impressive range of shots Adams could only dream of.

Mike Hussey, definately has all of the shots, he is a magnificent driver of the ball, and can hook a six as well.

He is the text book batsman, he was never as good as he is today, he in a similar way to, Matthew Hayden, has re-invented himself as a batsman.

In spite of this there is something about the likes of, Viv Richards, Greg Chappell, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, etc that, Hussey, doesn't have, this however doesn't mean that his Test and One Day International batting averages won't be higher than those four batsman on the day that he retires, I think it probably will be.

The reality is those four batsman were playing in Tests long before they peaked where as, Hussey, was fortunate enough to be at his peak when he was first selected.

[acker]

Originally Posted by Rachael

1. How late does he play the ball? Extremely late like to the enth degree, commentators suggesting he plays later than any current test player of all nations.

2. How soft are his hands? He has the ability to adjust them according to what he requires from extremely soft when he just wants to dab or tickle through to extremely rigid when he does a full blooded pull.

3. How balanced, still and well positioned is he for each shot (feet, head, otherwise)? Absolute statue, plays so late that he seldom pre-meditates and he only uses the footwork necessary to execute the shot he does not shuffle.

4. Does he over-commit to shots (leaving him unable to adjust)? No

5. How straight does he play when facing the new ball (backlift, follow-through)? He is not an opener but he usualy starts very straight until he gets a read on the pitch and the bowlers before he starts playing more expansionary shots.

6. How well does he leave the new ball? As I said he is not an opener but to get an average like that batting 4 or 5 I think it is safe to say he leaves the right balls alone.

7. Does he have the wristy shots to pick the gaps and rotate the strike when facing the old ball? Yes emphatically ! even when a pitch starts playing uneven and the ball reverse swings or stays low, he keeps scoring.

8. How is his touch and improvisation? Excelent touch from a delicate game right through to a power game, seldom needs to improvise because of the combination of his late play, shot selection and efficient footwork he is nearly always in a perfect position to execute the best shot anyway and beat the feild. If Hussey does improvise it is through the sublety of softening his hands as to dab a ball towards an outer feilder so slowly that he gets two runs.

I hope this helps clarify things Rachael.

Also he probably should have been given an opportunity earlier in the Australian test team when Martyn started teetering a couple of years before his eventual end.

[Rachael]

All good stuff, Acker.. though I'd also like to know what you make of this....

Hussey's main contender in a couple of years will probably be his brother David, who is two years younger and, like his sibling, has had to wait many years for recognition. David's greater shot range and strike-rate make him an ideal limited-overs candidate if Michael's high-energy returns slow down.

See Cricinfo - XI for '11

[acker]

Peter English probably should have dropped the name Michael Clarke in alongside Mike Hussey as a player who may make way for David Hussey, even Ricky Ponting on current form must come into contention.

David Hussey is playing very good cricket and as Mike gets older more questions will be asked. Mainly in the one day side.

David is bigger and more powerful, but the story is currently a great "what if" story, how David Hussey will go against Test and International bowling in reality is yet to be seen.

But he will get a good work out in the Pura Cup (domestic 4 day final that go's for 5 days) final starting today batting against Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken, Stuart MacGill and Beau Casson.

I think Mike will eventually succumb to just simply getting too old over the next couple of years.

[Aurelius]

Originally Posted by acker

Peter English probably should have dropped the name Michael Clarke in alongside Mike Hussey as a player who may make way for David Hussey, even Ricky Ponting on current form must come into contention.

I don't know why you have this fixation on Michael Clarke. He's got a great record in the ODI form, and he was far and away the best Australian batsman in the recent CB Series. In 2011, he'll only be approaching 30 himself, so he definitely won't be too old, either. My prediction- Clarke will not only make the first-choice XI, but he'll take over the captaincy from Ponting after it.

[acker]

Originally Posted by Aurelius

I don't know why you have this fixation on Michael Clarke. He's got a great record in the ODI form, and he was far and away the best Australian batsman in the recent CB Series. In 2011, he'll only be approaching 30 himself, so he definitely won't be too old, either. My prediction- Clarke will not only make the first-choice XI, but he'll take over the captaincy from Ponting after it.

I've got no fixation about him

I think he is over rated plain and simple

As a ODI player I think both D. Hussey and C.White are better than him.