Michael Hussey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Michael Hussey

Hussey in 2022
Personal information
Born	(1975-05-27) 27 May 1975 (age 50) Mount Lawley, Western Australia
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
Role	Middle-order batter
Relations	David Hussey (brother)
International information
National side	Australia (2004–2013)
Test debut (cap 393)	3 November 2005 v West Indies
Last Test	3 January 2013 v Sri Lanka
ODI debut (cap 150)	1 February 2004 v India
Last ODI	3 September 2012 v Pakistan
ODI shirt no.	48
T20I debut (cap 4)	17 February 2005 v New Zealand
Last T20I	5 October 2012 v West Indies
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1994/95–2012/13	Western Australia
2001–2003	Northamptonshire (squad no. 3)
2004	Gloucestershire
2005	Durham
2008–2013	Chennai Super Kings (squad no. 48)
2011/12–2012/13	Perth Scorchers
2013/14–2015/16	Sydney Thunder
2014	Mumbai Indians (squad no. 48)
2015	Chennai Super Kings (squad no. 48)
2015/16	Canterbury
2016	St Lucia Zouks
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 79 185 273 381 Runs scored 6,235 5,442 22,783 12,123 Batting average 51.52 48.15 52.13 44.08 100s/50s 19/29 3/39 61/103 12/90 Top score 195 109* 331* 123 Balls bowled 588 240 2,052 786 Wickets 7 2 27 20 Bowling average 43.71 117.50 40.48 41.45 5 wickets in innings 0 0 0 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0 Best bowling 1/0 1/22 3/34 3/52 Catches/stumpings 85/– 105/– 307/– 200/–
Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  Australia ICC Cricket World Cup Winner 2007 West Indies
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 22 December 2016

Michael Edward Killeen Hussey (born 27 May 1975) is an Australian cricket coach and former international cricket player. He played in all three forms of the game: Test, One Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I). Many people know him by his nickname, 'Mr Cricket'.

Michael Hussey started playing for the Australian team a bit later than most players. He was 28 when he debuted in ODIs and 30 for Test matches. Before playing for Australia, he had already scored over 15,000 runs in first-class cricket. During his time with Australia, he helped the team win several big titles. These include the 2007 Cricket World Cup and two ICC Champions Trophy titles in 2006 and 2009.

He had a very successful international career. In 2006, he was even ranked as the best ODI batsman in the world. Besides playing for Australia, he was also the vice-captain for the Western Warriors in Australia. He played for several teams in England and for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. Michael Hussey announced he was retiring from international cricket on 29 December 2012. He continued to play for the Big Bash League team Sydney Thunder. He led them to their first and only BBL title. After the 2015–16 season, he retired from all forms of cricket.

Playing for Teams in Australia and England

Michael Hussey first played for his home team, the Western Australian Warriors. He scored 6,471 runs for them, which is one of the highest totals for that state in the Sheffield Shield competition.

Later, he moved to England to play. In July 2001, he scored an amazing 329 runs without being out for Northamptonshire. This was a club record! He even became the captain of Northamptonshire. In August 2003, he broke his own record by scoring 331 runs, again not out, against Somerset.

Once, when Hussey was playing for Australia A, which is Australia's reserve team, a famous cricketer named Allan Border jokingly told him to practice for six hours straight in the nets. Surprisingly, Hussey actually did it! This shows how dedicated he was to cricket.

Playing in the Indian Premier League

Hussey also played for teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He played for the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians. In 2008, he became only the second batsman to score a century in the IPL. He made 116 runs without being out for Chennai against Kings XI Punjab.

He won the IPL tournament with Chennai in 2010. In 2011, he was one of the top five run-scorers in the competition. In 2013, he was the highest run-scorer with 733 runs, which was a record for a batsman in an IPL season. After playing for Mumbai in 2014, he returned to Chennai in 2015.

In January 2018, Michael Hussey became the batting coach for the Chennai Super Kings.

Playing for Australia

Hussey got a contract to play for Australia in 2004–05. This was after he did very well in the ING Cup. He had a very successful international career. His average score in Test matches was 51.52, and in ODIs it was 48.15. He was also a very occasional medium-pace bowler. He bowled only 98 overs in his Test career. He usually bowled to give the main fast bowlers a rest. On 28 December 2008, he got his first Test wicket.

One-Day International Matches

Hussey played his first One-Day International (ODI) match for Australia against India. This was on 1 February 2004, at his home ground in Perth. In this match, Hussey scored 17 runs without being out. Australia won the game by five wickets.

On 6 February 2006, he won the Australian One-Day Player of the Year award. This was part of the annual Allan Border Medal presentation. He also came second overall in the Allan Border medal in his first year of international cricket. On 3 November 2006, Hussey was named the ICC's ODI Player of the Year. He was also chosen for the World ODI XI team in 2006.

Hussey in the field during a Test match in January 2009

On 18 September 2006, Hussey captained Australia for the first time. This happened because the regular captain Ricky Ponting was resting. Australia lost that game, but Hussey and Brad Haddin made a record partnership of 165 runs.

In 2007, Hussey helped Australia win two difficult matches against England and New Zealand. Both times, he was the only main batsman left at the end of the game.

Hussey also captained Australia in the Chappell–Hadlee Trophy. Australia lost all four matches he captained. This meant Australia lost its top spot in the ODI rankings.

In early 2007, Hussey had a tough time scoring runs. His average was very low for many games. This continued into the 2007 Cricket World Cup, where he didn't get many chances to bat.

On 19 February 2012, Michael Hussey became the 13th Australian batsman to score 5,000 runs in ODI cricket. He reached this milestone by scoring 59 runs against India.

Hussey bowling in the nets in January 2009.

Test Matches

Hussey played his first Test match on 3 November 2005. This was in Brisbane against the West Indies. In his first innings, he scored only one run. But in his next Test match, he scored 137 runs and 31 runs without being out. He was named the best player of the match. In his third Test, he scored 133 runs and 30 runs without being out. This brought his Test average to an amazing 120.

When Hussey moved lower down the batting order, he became very important to the Australian team. He often made great partnerships with the last few batsmen. One amazing partnership was with Glenn McGrath, where they added 107 runs together. Hussey scored 122 runs in that game. He continued this against Bangladesh. He and Jason Gillespie made a 320-run partnership, with Hussey scoring a career-best 182 runs.

On 18 April 2006, Hussey set a record. He was the fastest player to reach 1,000 Test runs, doing it in just 166 days. He was also the fastest to reach the top 10 in the world cricket rankings.

Hussey (far right) in the slips during a Test match in 2008

In the 2006–07 Ashes series, Hussey scored 91 runs in the second Test. Australia needed 168 runs to win. Hussey scored 61 runs without being out and helped Australia win. On 16 December, Hussey scored 103 runs in the third match at his home ground in Perth. He had a great average of 105.25 in that Ashes series, which Australia won 5–0.

In the First Test against Sri Lanka, Hussey scored his sixth Test century with 133 runs. He also made a record-breaking partnership with Michael Clarke. In the next match, Hussey scored his seventh Test century with 132 runs.

On 6 January 2008, Hussey scored his eighth Test century against India. He scored 145 runs without being out. This helped Australia win their 16th Test match in a row.

Hussey scored his ninth Test hundred in India in October 2008. He also got his first Test wicket in December 2008 against South Africa.

In the 2009 Ashes series in England, Hussey scored 276 runs. He scored his tenth Test century in the final match, making 121 runs. This century possibly saved his Test career.

In the summer of 2009/10, Hussey scored his eleventh Test century against Pakistan. He scored 134 runs without being out. This innings helped Australia win the match, and Hussey was named player of the match.

Before the 2010/11 Ashes series, some people thought Hussey might be dropped from the team. But he scored a century in a practice match and kept his spot. In the First Ashes Test, Hussey scored an amazing 195 runs, his highest Test score ever. He and Brad Haddin made a partnership of 307 runs, which was a record at that ground. In the Second Test, he scored 93 and 52 runs. In the next match, he scored 61 and 116 runs, helping Australia win.

In the 2011 Test tour of Sri Lanka, Hussey scored 95 runs in the First Test and was named Man of the Match. In the second Test, he made 142 runs and took two wickets. He also made a fantastic one-handed catch. He was again named Man of the Match. In the third Test, he scored 118 runs.

In the first Test of 2012, Hussey scored 150 runs without being out. He had a huge partnership of 344 runs with Michael Clarke. This performance helped him stay in the team.

Hussey started the 2012/13 Australian summer well. He scored a century against South Africa in the first Test. He had another big partnership with Michael Clarke. He scored another century (103) in the second Test, with another 272-run partnership with Clarke.

Hussey scored his 19th and final Test century in December 2012. He played his last Test match in January 2013. In his final innings, he scored 27 runs without being out, guiding Australia to victory.

Twenty20 International Matches

Hussey was part of Australia's team for the 2007 ICC World Twenty20. He scored 65 runs in the tournament before getting injured.

In May 2010, he scored 60 runs off just 24 balls in the semi-final of the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. This amazing performance helped Australia beat Pakistan and reach the final. It is remembered as one of the best chases in Twenty20 cricket history.

Retirement from Cricket

Michael Hussey announced he would retire from international cricket after the 2012 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. His very last Test match was in January 2013 against Sri Lanka. He had planned to play more limited-overs cricket that summer. However, the Australian selectors decided to give younger players a chance. They were planning for the 2015 World Cup.

Hussey explained that he retired to spend more time with his family. He waited to announce his retirement until just before the Sydney Test. He was worried he might be dropped from the team before the summer season ended.

Best Performances in Cricket

Michael Hussey scored 19 centuries in Test matches and three centuries in One Day Internationals.

International Centuries

Hussey scored 22 centuries in international cricket. This includes 19 in Test matches and three in ODIs.

His first Test century was in his second match. He scored 137 runs against the West Indies in 2005. His highest Test score was 195 runs against England in 2010.

Test centuries scored by Michael Hussey

No.	Date	Score	Opponent	Venue	Result	Ref
1	17 November 2005	137	West Indies	Bellerive Oval, Hobart, Australia	Australia won
2	25 November 2005	133*	West Indies	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia	Australia won
3	26 December 2005	122	South Africa	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia	Australia won
4	26 April 2006	182	Bangladesh	Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram, Bangladesh	Australia won
5	14 December 2006	103	England	WACA Ground, Perth, Australia	Australia won
6	8 November 2007	133	Sri Lanka	The Gabba, Brisbane, Australia	Australia won
7	16 November 2007	132	Sri Lanka	Bellerive Oval, Hobart, Australia	Australia won
8	2 January 2008	145*	India	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia	Australia won
9	9 October 2008	146	India	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India	Drawn
10	20 August 2009	121	England	The Oval, London, England	Australia lost
11	3 January 2010	134*	Pakistan	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia	Australia won
12	25 November 2010	195	England	The Gabba, Brisbane, Australia	Drawn
13	16 December 2010	116	England	WACA Ground, Perth, Australia	Australia won
14	8 September 2011	142	Sri Lanka	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka	Drawn
15	16 September 2011	118	Sri Lanka	Singhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka	Drawn
16	3 January 2012	150*	India	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia	Australia won
17	9 November 2012	100	South Africa	The Gabba, Brisbane, Australia	Drawn
18	22 November 2012	103	South Africa	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia	Drawn
19	14 December 2012	115*	Sri Lanka	Bellerive Oval, Hobart, Australia	Australia won

ODI centuries scored by Michael Hussey

No.	Date	Score	Opponent	Venue	Result	Ref
1	18 September 2006	109*	West Indies	Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Australia lost
2	18 February 2007	105	New Zealand	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	Australia lost
3	13 April 2011	108	Bangladesh	Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh	Australia won

About Michael Hussey

Michael Hussey was born in Mount Lawley, a suburb of Perth. He went to Whitford Catholic Primary School and then Prendiville Catholic College. After school, he received a scholarship to the Australian Cricket Academy. His younger brother, David Hussey, also became a professional cricketer. Before playing first-class cricket, Michael Hussey studied to become a science teacher. He is married and has four children.

Why He's Called "Mr Cricket"

Michael Hussey is often called Mr Cricket. This nickname came about because he knows so much about the sport. However, he has said many times that he doesn't really like the nickname. He finds it "a bit embarrassing."

His Book: Underneath the Southern Cross

Underneath the Southern Cross is Michael Hussey's autobiography. An autobiography is a book about a person's own life. This book was published on 1 October 2013.

What He Does After Cricket

After retiring from playing cricket, Michael Hussey continued to be involved in the sport. He worked as a batting consultant for the Australian cricket team for the 2016 ICC World Twenty20. He also became a cricket commentator for the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2016. Since the 2018-19 cricket season, Hussey has been part of the Fox Sports commentary team.

Several years after he stopped playing in the Big Bash League, Hussey was appointed as the Director of Cricket for the Sydney Thunder. He also became the Batting Coach for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the 2018 IPL season.

Outside of cricket, Hussey has supported the Cancer Council WA. He was their ambassador in 2016.

He also worked as a batting coach for the Senior Men's England Cricket team. Currently, he is the coach of the Welsh Fire Men's team for the 2023 season.

In 2023, Michael Hussey was added to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. This is a special honor for great Australian cricketers.

See also

• Under the Southern Cross I Stand