Michael Hussey

At 48 years old, Michael Hussey has this physical status:

Pre-Test career

Hussey played for his native Western Australian Warriors for a year, placing him eighth in the Sheffield Shield's list of that state's best run-makers. He then travelled to England, where he scored an unbeaten 329 (a Northamptonshire club record) at Wantage Road in July 2001, a 10-wicket triumph. He captained Northamptonshire later in life. When he scored 331 not out against Somerset at Taunton in August 2003, he tied his own Northamptonshire record.

Allan Border, Australia's reserve team, jokingly recommended that he get match practice by staying in the nets for a full six hours, but Hussey did just that.

International career

After excelling in the ING Cup, Hussey was granted a Cricket Australia deal in 2004-05. Hussey's international career was extremely fruitful, with his Test batting average being 51.52 and in ODIs 48.15. He was a regular medium speed bowler, bowling only 98 overs in his Test career, 23 of which in 2008. He was brought into the game to give the pace bowlers a rest, but Ricky Ponting was banned in India from receiving a one-match suspension for a slowing down. Paul Harris was trapped by Mitchell Johnson on Day 28 of the Boxing Day test on December 28, 2008. He came out with figures of 1/22. In One Day Internationals, he took two wickets.

Hussey made his debut for the Australian One-Day team against India on February 1st, 2004 at his home WACA ground in Perth. Hussey made 171* in this match, helping Australia win the match by five wickets.

Hussey was the first person to touch the Telstra Dome's roof in the third Super Series match on October 9, 2005 (the ICC World XI's Makhaya Ntini was the bowler in this case). At the annual Allan Border Medal presentation, he tied for the Australian One-Day Player of the Year with Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, and Brett Lee on February 6, 2006, tying for second place on February 6, 2006, a tie. However, Symonds was declared ineligible after an alcohol-related arrest, and after Lee and Gilchrist were banned from counting back, Hussey was proclaimed the outright champion. Hussey had also finished second overall in the Allan Border medal in his first year of international cricket. Hussey was named ICC Player of the Year at the annual ICC Awards in Mumbai on November 3rd. In 2006, he was also listed in the World ODI XI and as the 12th man in 2007.

Hussey captained Australia for the first time in the DLF Cup second round match against West Indies at Kuala Lumpur on September 18, 2006, owing to Australia's rotation policy and in Ricky Ponting's absence. Australia lost the game by three wickets, but Hussey and Brad Haddin put together a sixth-wicket team partnership of 165, a world record in all ODIs.

When chasing a target against England and in a later match in the 2007 Commonwealth Bank Triangular Series, Australia was in danger, as they look to a goal against England and New Zealand. Both times Hussey led the Australians to victory, and on both occasions, he was the only recognised batsman at the crease at the end of the match.

After selectors rested captain Ricky Ponting and vice-captain Adam Gilchrist, Hussey led Australia in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Australia's first match against New Zealand resulted in a 10-wicket loss, the first time Australia had lost by this margin in One Day International history, although Hussey top scorers earned 42 off 96 balls. After losing to New Zealand two days later, Hussey's record as captain was tarnished when Australia dropped to South Africa for the first time since being introduced in 2002. Hussey top-scored for Australia off a 105 off 84 before losing their final match, leaving him with a record of four losses out of four matches.

Hussey suffered in early 2007 with an average of just eight in over ten innings, which barely improved in the World Cup, where he averaged 17.4 with 87 runs. However, this was also due to a lack of opportunities to bat as a result of Australia's top-order dominance.

Hussey's top order and middle order collapsed in the fourth ODI in the Commonwealth Bank Series, which resulted in the side's deepest trouble on Sunday at 5/72. Before Lee fell to Pathan, he had a 53-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Brett Lee (the highest partnership of the innings). Hussey batted through the remainder of the innings, winning an unbeaten 65 off 88 being the only Australian to contribute to the poor total of 159.

Hussey top-scored with 85, receiving the man-of-the-match award in the first ODI of the 2008 Bangladesh ODI series. This coincided with his ascension to second place in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI rankings.

Michael Hussey was included in the Australian 2011 World Cup squad as the replacement for Doug Bollinger, who was recovering from a hamstring injury that needed surgery.

Michael Hussey scored 59 runs against India at the Gabba on February 19, 2012. He was the 13th batsman to score 5000 runs for Australia in ODI cricket.

In the Australia vs. West Indies series, Hussey made his Test debut at the Gabba in Brisbane on November 3rd, 2005, as a replacement for fellow Western Australian batsman Justin Langer. Hussey's first innings were restricted by Denesh Ramdin's dismissal of Daren Powell's bowling. Hussey's second innings produced an unimpressive 29. He scored 137 and 31* in the following Test at Bellerive Oval (Tasmania) and was named man of the match. Hussey was moved down the order to number five in the third Test at Adelaide Oval to accommodate Langer's return. In the first innings, he was 133 not out and 30 not out in the second, taking his Test average to 120.

Hussey remained indispensable to the Australian team, often establishing fruitful relationships with the tail-end batsmen, the most notable being a 107-wicket partnership with Glenn McGrath in the second Test in South Africa's 2005–06 tour of Australia. Hussey's incredible batting with tail-enders against Bangladesh in the Spring 2006 2-Test series, where he and Jason Gillespie (as a nightwatchman) created a 320-run partnership, with Hussey's career-best 182th run in the series.

Hussey set a new record for the fastest player in terms of time on the 18th of April 6, 2006, when they reached 1,000 Test runs. In 166 days, he hit the milestone. Hussey was also the fastest cricketer to reach the top ten of the LG ICC rankings. In the 2006–07 Ashes series, he had an average of 105.25, which Australia defeated 5–0.

Hussey made 91 before being bowled (playing on) by Matthew Hoggard in the second Test of the 2006–07 Ashes, falling nine runs short of his fifth Test century. In the second innings, Australia was aiming for victory off 35 overs for a chance to go 2–0 up in the series. After the demise of two early wickets, Ponting and Hussey, who were promoted to No. 2, the pair was dropped to No. 9. Instead of Damien Martyn, the foursome, who now serve as a teammate guiding Australia to victory. Ponting fell on 49, but the war was well over. Hussey scored the winning runs and took 61 not out of 66 balls. Michael Clarke, his partner, scored 21 not out.

On the third day of the series at the WACA Ground in Perth, Hussey scored 103 runs off 156 balls, his fifth Test century. Justin Langer, a tamed Hussey, was the team's next leader of the team's victory song Under the Southern Cross I Stand on January 6, 2007 after Australia's 5–0 whitewash.

Hussey scored his sixth Test century in the first Test of the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy against Sri Lanka with a score of 133 runs off 249 balls. He was also a member of Clarke's record-breaking fourth-wicket team. Australia's 245-run partnership against Sri Lanka in Test matches is the third-strongest collaboration for the two nations. Hussey scored his seventh Test century in the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy's second round, with 34 not out.

Hussey scored his eighth Test century against India on January 6, 2008 at the SCG. This was the first time he had scored more than 50 runs at that field. He was not out on 145, not out before Ponting announced it. However, he scored his first Test duck in the first innings of the following Test.

On the third day of the 2008 Boxing Day Test at the MCG, Hussey claimed his first Test wicket against South Africa. Paul Harris skied a ball over Mitchell Johnson's head and ran back and took a running catch as the ball fell down past his shoulder.

In 2009, Hussey played in all five Ashes Test matches in England, scoring 276 runs in 8 innings. On an average of 34.5, he had a 65% chance. In the fifth and final Test at The Oval, where he scored 121 runs, a century in Australia's second innings, potentially saving his Test career after a long run without a century. In the Second Test at Lord's, where England won, and in the Third Test at Edgbaston, which resulted in a draw, he scored two half centuries. He also took five catches in the field.

Hussey's eleventh test century took place in the summer of 2009. When Hussey showed yet again that he was incredible with the tail end, scoring an unbeaten 134, Australia was losing badly. This innings with Peter Siddle, 38, could have changed the game from a bad one to a good one, and Michael Hussey was named man of the match for his heroic effort.

Hussey took his second Test wicket against the West Indies in 2009 at the Gabba after Dwayne Bravo hooked a short ball straight to deep backward square leg, which was comfortably caught by Ben Hilfenhaus.

Hussey was playing poorly in the warm-up games and most believed he should be suspended, but he wasn't. He scored a dazzling 195, his highest test result, in a Gabba-a-Life partnership that was later broken by Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott in the second innings, resulting in a draw. He scored 93 in the first innings and 52 in the second, finishing with a 93 in the first round. He led Australia to a 267 run win, scoring 61 and 116 in the next round.

In the first test, which gave him the Man of the Match award, he scored 95 & 15. He made 142 wickets in the second test, including a critical one in Kumar Sangakkara, and captured a stunning one-handed full length diving catch in the gully while also being awarded with the Man of the Match award. In the third test, he made 118 in the 1st innings.

Hussey scored an unbeaten 150* in the first Test Match of 2012 to lead the Australians to 659-4. He was involved in a 344 run team with Michael Clarke, who won an unbeaten 329*. After being put under significant pressure from critics and selectors, he was lauded for his efforts, and he reiterated himself in the team once more.

In the first test, Hussey began the 2012/13 Australian summer with a century against South Africa. As the pair put on more than 200 runs in the fourth and fifth days, a partnership with Michael Clarke was vital. In the second test with another century, as well as a Clarke-independent partnership, this feat was repeated.

He played his last Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the last of Australia's three match series against Sri Lanka. He was run out by Michael Clarke for 25 runs in the first innings, but Australia beat them by 27 points in the second round.

Hussey was a member of Australia's 2007 ICC World Twenty2020 team, but he was disqualified in the semi-finals. He appeared in all of Australia's tests, scoring 65 runs with a best of 37 before strained his hamstring, which prevented him from participating in Australia's tour of India that followed.

In May 2010, he scored 60 runs off 24 balls in the ICC World Twenty20 semi-final to help defeat Pakistan and secure a spot for Australia in the final. It is regarded as one of the most exciting run chases in Twenty20 cricket.

Hussey was a member of the IPL and the second batsman to score a century in the competition after New Zealand's Brendon McCullum. He scored 116 not out against the team Kings XI Punjab.

Despite the fact that neither team qualified in 2009 and neither team qualified in 2009, Hussey decided to play for his Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings rather than his Australian state team Western Warriors in the inaugural Champions Twenty20 League.

Hussey was unable to participate in the second season of the Indian Premier League due to national service.

Hussey and teammate Doug Bollinger joined the Chennai Super Kings in the second half of the 2010 Indian Premier League to turn around the team's fortunes, which eventually won the title that year.

Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay both replaced Matthew Hayden and opened the innings for the team in the 2010 Champions League Twenty20. In the group war against the Chevrolet Warriors, which was a must-win tie for the Chennai Super Kings, he took a crucial blow. Hussey's innings earned him the Man of the match award and aided the Chennai Super Kings in their move to the knockout stage, where they would dominate the entire league.

He was the fifth-highest run-getter in all IPL matches in 2011. He scored 492 runs from his fourteen innings against the Royal Cricket Association, his highest score against the RCB is 81 not out. He has scored four half-centuries and three-man of the matches as well.

He finished as the top run scorer in the IPL this season with 733 runs, the most runs by a batsman in an IPL season that began with Chris Gayle, but from 3 more innings. Hussey also produced 566 deliveries (the third highest by a batsman in a season) and played out 202 dot balls (the highest ever in a season by a batsman). He was selected by the Mumbai Indians in 2014 for the 7th edition of the league as an opener but he was released in 2015 by them. He was bought back by the Chennai Super Kings in the 2015 auction. During IPL 2015, Hussey's last season in the tournament, he had to play just 4 games and scored 77 runs.

Michael Hussey, the Chennai Super Kings' batting coach, was named as their batting coach in January 2018.

Hussey achieved 22 centuries of international cricket, 19 in Tests and 3 in ODIs.

In his second match scoring 137 against the West Indies at the Bellerive Oval, his first Test century came in his second match scoring 137. During the 2010-11 Ashes series between the teams, he scored his highest Test score of 195 against England in Brisbane.

He is joint 62nd (with Colin Cowdrey, Wally Hammond, and Ijaz Ahmed) among all-time combined century-makers.

Career best performances

Hussey won 19 Test centuries and three ODI centuries.

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