On Mike Hussey...

[Uppercut]

When you ask someone who the greatest batsman in the world is, the answer tends to vary on where you are. In India it might be Tendulkar, in Australia Ponting, other answers could include Kallis, Chanderpaul, Pietersen, Yousuf, Sangakarra. But one answer i have never, ever received is Mike Hussey, despite his stats trumping all of those players completely in both forms of the game.

In 43 test innings he now averages just short of 70 (the nearest challenger is Ponting on 58) and in 71 ODI innings he averages 57, with a strike rate of 85 (noone comes close). So why is it, that after 114 innings at the highest level, he's still so regularly overlooked as one of the premier batsmen in the world? Has he just not been around long enough? Because it's difficult to play 114 anomalous innings. Is it aesthetics? There's no doubt most would prefer to watch Tendulkar or Ponting. Has he had the unfair advantage of a lot of flat pitches in Australia, perhaps? Or is everyone bored of yet another awesome Aussie batsman that his impact doesn't seem so significant? Ideas, people.

 

[NUFAN]

He's a brilliant Test batter, Hussey is just so reliable, that I always feel relaxed when he's at the crease.

I don't want to start saying he's the World's best cause I really don't want to jinx him!

Regarding ODIs - I don't think his skills reflect his superior ODI average, he's had a great number of not outs, played some terrific knocks though.

World Cup flop too

 

[Lambu]

One reason is that some of the players have played for a decade or more.So we can't be sure if Hussey would be able to sustain this kind of records over say 19 years,like Sachin.

 

[Uppercut]

He's a brilliant Test batter, Hussey is just so reliable, that I always feel relaxed when he's at the crease.

I don't want to start saying he's the World's best cause I really don't want to jinx him!

Regarding ODIs - I don't think his skills reflect his superior ODI average, he's had a great number of not outs, played some terrific knocks though.

World Cup flop too

Don't think not-outs are relevant, it means he's batting at the end of the innings when (in theory) he's almost certain to get out. And it's not like he holds back, either. Really strange to have such an awesome average and strike-rate after so many matches, whichever way you look at it.

 

[Richard]

One reason is that some of the players have played for a decade or more.So we can't be sure if Hussey would be able to sustain this kind of records over say 19 years,like Sachin.

Well yeah, but people were calling Tendulkar and Lara the best batsman in The World (rightly so) when they'd been playing for no more than 4 or 5 years. The minute Graham Gooch's form waned in 1994, those two were irrefutably the best going around, along with Stephen Waugh.

For me the Hussey question is a puzzling one, rather like Hussey himself. We just don't see players doing what he does. No-one comes into Test cricket and just barely ever looks like getting out (albeit Hussey's received a let-off or two here and there, but that'd probably mean his first-chance average is about 63-64 - still outstripping anyone else). When someone completely takes the game by storm like that, it can just go over the head as it's so ridiculously unusual. I've been waiting for his Test average to start going down for nearly 2 years now... but still it continues to not happen. His ODI one has finally started to dip, rightly so (I'll be disappointed if he's the next Bevan, Australia don't deserve the best 2 ODI batsmen ever ) but in Tests he just marches on and on.

As for his attractiveness, he's one of the best in the side currently IMO. Love his coverdrive (even if I do often get sick of seeing it played perfectly yet again - I can only recall him edging it in the air on a tiny handful of occasions) and he has a way of playing the short-arm jab stylishly too, which is rare (normally the full-flowing pull is far better). He doesn't quite have the Daryll Cullinan or Rahul Dravid way of making a forward-defence look stylish, but few do. I certainly don't think the lack of Hussey-rate is anything to do with aesthetics.

 

[NUFAN]

Don't think not-outs are relevant, it means he's batting at the end of the innings when (in theory) he's almost certain to get out. And it's not like he holds back, either. Really strange to have such an awesome average and strike-rate after so many matches, whichever way you look at it.

Yeah okay, I often say what you say, but with Hussey it does feel like the not outs have helped him and not for one minute do I think of him as a selfish player who's playing for them.

Basically I rate him as a better Test player then ODI, would make both Current World XI teams I would say.

 

[zaremba]

I don't want to start saying he's the World's best cause I really don't want to jinx him!

He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman.

 

[social]

He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman.

All joking aside, he really is the world's best batsman

 

[BoyBrumby]

When you ask someone who the greatest batsman in the world is, the answer tends to vary on where you are. In India it might be Tendulkar, in Australia Ponting, other answers could include Kallis, Chanderpaul, Pietersen, Yousuf, Sangakarra. But one answer i have never, ever received is Mike Hussey, despite his stats trumping all of those players completely in both forms of the game.

In 43 test innings he now averages just short of 70 (the nearest challenger is Ponting on 58) and in 71 ODI innings he averages 57, with a strike rate of 85 (noone comes close). So why is it, that after 114 innings at the highest level, he's still so regularly overlooked as one of the premier batsmen in the world? Has he just not been around long enough? Because it's difficult to play 114 anomalous innings. Is it aesthetics? There's no doubt most would prefer to watch Tendulkar or Ponting. Has he had the unfair advantage of a lot of flat pitches in Australia, perhaps? Or is everyone bored of yet another awesome Aussie batsman that his impact doesn't seem so significant? Ideas, people.

Partly, I think, yeah. Other players might be easier on the eye, but Hussey knows his own game so well. Plays to his own strengths and is so effective. He maybe doesn't have a signature shot that makes one purr in quite the same way as Ponting's swivel-pull or Pietersen's one-footed flamingo whip, but one look at the score board and he's added 50-odd without one having noticed. He's the Glenn McGrath of batting for me, someone on CW had a quote in their sig that said of McGrath that (my paraphrase) "this bloke just took your wicket cheaply", well Hussey "just" scores bagfulls of runs.

 

[Richard]

He maybe doesn't have a signature shot that makes one purr in quite the same way as Ponting's swivel-pull or Pietersen's one-footed flamingo whip

Well, I'd say his coverdrive is about as much a signature shot as anyone's ever will be really.

 

[Woodster]

There appears to be very few weaknesses in his game, as his averages may indicate. He runs exceptionally between the wickets, rotates the strike well, looks rock sild in defence, is decisive against spin committing to a big stride forward or using the absolute depth of his crease. As mentioned his cover driving is certainly up there with the best, he finds the gaps with contemptuous ease, and picks up the short ball very well.

Imo, he is definitely up there with the very best batsmen in the world.

 

[fredfertang]

He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman.

He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman. He's the world's best batsman.

 

[BoyBrumby]

There appears to be very few weaknesses in his game, as his averages may indicate. He runs exceptionally between the wickets, rotates the strike well, looks rock sild in defence, is decisive against spin committing to a big stride forward or using the absolute depth of his crease. As mentioned his cover driving is certainly up there with the best, he finds the gaps with contemptuous ease, and picks up the short ball very well.

Imo, he is definitely up there with the very best batsmen in the world.

It's very effective, but doesn't look as glorious as, say, Tendulkar's, Vaughan's or Martyn's. Maybe it does come down to aesthetics.

 

[Woodster]

It's very effective, but doesn't look as glorious as, say, Tendulkar's, Vaughan's or Martyn's. Maybe it does come down to aesthetics.

I understand what you mean, but why is this the case, left-handers are supposed to be the stylists ?

 

[Mister Wright]

Give it a year or two and Hussey continuing to do what he does, and the likely retirement of Tendulkar he will be talked about as one of the best, possibly even a game great.

 

[Indipper]

Give it a year or two and Hussey continuing to do what he does, and the likely retirement of Tendulkar he will be talked about as one of the best, possibly even a game great.

Yeah, once people have no one else to look at, they will kneel before Hussey. Like with Hayden and Sehwag.

 

[GIMH]

I have a theory that people don't give him his dues as much as they do others because he came into Test cricket at such an age that it was perhaps easier for him to succeed than someone like Hayden who had a long struggle in his early career, and time out of the side for lengthy periods. Hussey was ready for it when he was picked as he was so experienced.

I don't fully buy this, but it's something we can assess again at the end of his career, as most people have a dip towards the end which would make up for the lack of a struggle at the start. But the thing is, as Richard said, we've all been waiting for his average to drop, and it hasn't, not really (in Tests, anyhow). If I could have any batsman in the world in the England side it would undoubtedly be Hussey and I think he might well earn himself the title of best batsman of the decade, once it ends. I don't care when or why he was and wasn't selected, as a Test batsman I have seen few who are even nearly as good.

 

[The Baconator]

Well, I'd say his coverdrive is about as much a signature shot as anyone's ever will be really.

I think it is his signature shot, but I get what Brumby means, however good it is, it hasn't got the "wow" factor that Ponting's and KP's have.

 

[Richard]

I have a theory that people don't give him his dues as much as they do others because he came into Test cricket at such an age that it was perhaps easier for him to succeed than someone like Hayden who had a long struggle in his early career, and time out of the side for lengthy periods. Hussey was ready for it when he was picked as he was so experienced.

The thing is, even this doesn't fully explain it. Though any number of players are picked for Test cricket without being ready for it (including many who never will be), there's plenty of others who take to it straight away. It's exceptionally rare to see anyone have a period of insanely prolific scoring as long as Hussey's, whether from the start of a career or in the middle. Even in this day-and-age of flat pitches and weak bowling. There's no more than a handful who've managed it.

Without exaggeration, if Hussey keeps this up for another 3 or 4 years (certainly far from impossible) it'll be fair to call him the 2nd-best Test batsman after Bradman, never mind best of his time. Which, given his excellent but far from beyond-ridiculous (a la his Test average) domestic-FC record would be strange TSTL.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, obviously many younger than he take to Tests instantly, Pietersen for instance has only averaged less than 30 in one series, IIRC. But I can't remember anyone spending their first three years scoring like he does. How many tons does the guy have? Why the **** couldn't he have been English???