Sport | Cricket
Hussey: We should get David cheaply
Michael Hussey, or 'Mr Cricket' was signed up by the Chennai owners with little fanfare, while his brother was the more sought after one at the auction for IPL players.
- By D. Datta
- Published: 00:45 April 25, 2008
Michael Hussey, or 'Mr Cricket' was signed up by the Chennai owners with little fanfare, while his brother was the more sought after one at the auction for IPL players.
However, the elder sibling of David Hussey of Kolkata Night Riders had shown the IPL that whatever Brendon McCullum can do, he can do better.
And the Australian is hopeful the Twenty20 league will help cricket to compete in the popularity stakes with the likes of soccer and basketball. Following are the excerpts from an exclusive interview:
Gulf News: How do you feel about playing against David in your next match tomorrow?
Hussey: We shall try our best to get him as quickly as possible! He is a dangerman for us, definitely. Not only for us, in this format, he can single-handedly win matches for his team. Ther sooner we get him, it is better for us.
Your team will be facing McCullum too...
We want him to be back in the pavilion on zero as well. If we cannot do so, it will be a real problem for us.
Did you see McCullum's path-breaking innings in the first match?
Yes. He was awesome, to say the least. His innings had set the tempo for the tournament and it gave you a clear indication of where the tournament was heading to.
Were you inspired by that innings, since you had followed up with an unbeaten hundred the next day?
That was brutal hitting and I was never ever a batsman who hits so hard. So, there were differences between the two knocks. Yet, I think I was able to rise to the occasion and contribute to the team's cause. That was satisfying indeed.
So, the finisher had transformed himself into a dasher ?
Not really. It all depends upon how you can cope up with the changing phases of the game. Cricketers should never be judged by statistics alone, but rather by he is doing under different situations.
Since there were quite a few takers for you in the IPL, did your hundred make a statement?
I do not play to convey something to anybody. Neither I play for money. Yes, it is important for every cricketer to earn his living and I do earn a decent living by playing it. But the motivation to play cricket is the enjoyment involved in playing the game. I am enjoying the format and that is okay with me.
Can we expect 300 runs in Twenty 20?
You never know. We had made 240 in the first game, which was a reasonably good score for a 50-overs game as well. There was a time when nobody could expect a team to make 400 in one-day matches. We did so and yet, we had lost the game. So, you can never be sure of the heights a cricket match can scale.
Are you hopeful about the future of this format of the game?
Definitely. It is going to give the game some new dimensions. There are already more number of people coming to the grounds.
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