David Hussey

The younger brother of Michael Hussey, David Hussey went through the same path that his brother had taken. After scoring loads of runs in the Australian domestic competitions and in the English Country circuit, David finally managed to get a place in the Australian team. He was initially seen as more of a T20 player.

David was first noticed in the 2003-04 season. He blasted a run-ball 212 as Victoria chased a record 455 against New South Wales. This knock impressed the then skipper Steve Waugh and he finished the season with 857 runs at an average of 61. He could not maintain his form in the longer versions and was dropped from the squad. He continued to excel in the domestic one-dayers and he was the recipient of Victoria's limited overs 'Player of the year' award in 2005-06. David was scoring a mountain of runs in the domestic circuits of both England and Australia. He scored 1208 and 1231 runs in two seasons for Nottinghamshire. He helped the county to a win in 2005, and continued to pile on the runs in 2007 when he smashed 1219 runs at an average of 93.16.

For Victoria, David was now becoming into a one man wrecking machine. In the 2007-08 season, he blasted the second fastest century off 60 balls in a domestic one-dayer. He had an incredible time with the bat even in the Sheffield Shield competition and he was rewarded as Victoria's Player of the Year in all three formats.

In international colours, his first major knock in a T20 was a brutal 88 off 44 balls against South Africa in 2009. He showcased his prowess in the T20 format by playing some important knocks, including a blazing 53 off just 29 balls against Pakistan in the 2010 T20 World Cup. In the ODIs, he announced himself by scoring two back to back fifties against the West Indies. In his second ODI, he thumped a fifty off just 19 balls.

A century followed against Scotland but he never managed to seal his spot. Although he scored back to back fifties against England just before the World Cup, he had a poor outing in the tournament. Following the end of the World Cup, David lost his Cricket Australia contract as the selectors emphasized the need for younger players.

Hussey did earn a recall for the ODI leg of the Sri Lankan tour after the World Cup, 2011 and was persisted despite modest returns. He then hit a purple patch in the home tri-series also involving India and Sri Lanka. He ended the tournament with 439 runs at a splendid average of 54.87 including 5 half centuries.

But as has been his international career, the purple patch turned out to be a short lived one. Hussey managed to cross fifty only thrice in eighteen matches after that. The selectors lost patience with him and axed him from the team following a modest home series against Sri Lanka in 2013.

With a first-class average hovering around 53, it will be mighty disappointing for the younger Hussey if he finishes his international career with not even a single baggy green cap against his name.

He has played for a number of T20 sides and was signed by the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League in 2011, for whom he continues to be an integral part.

David Hussey represented the Kolkata Knight Riders from 2008-10 and was one of the most expensive buys in the 2011 auction. Kings XI Punjab bought him for a whopping $1.4 million dollars, the 2nd most expensive foreign buy of the auction. However, the franchise did not retain for the 2014 edition and he went unsold in the auctions, much to the shock of many.

By Cricbuzz Staff - March, 2014