The Hussey story (-worma)

The story of a man who could easily have been a 'could-have-been'...who got his chance almost too late, and almost lost it again, for ever. Michal Hussey is now being hailed as the biggest hope in the post-Ashes Aussie lineup, and rightly so.

His belated call-up to national colours came in the one-day side and by the time he finished the recent Chappell-Hadlee Trophy against New Zealand, which he concluded with an unbeaten 88 in just 56 balls with seven fours and five sixes, his average in the pyjama game was 151 from 21 matches. In Test cricket it was 120. Not bad for an opener in an unfamiliar role in the middle order.

With this kind of a start to the career, its difficult for analysts to not get carried away.

His actions show, as do his words, how desperately he has been waiting for this chance, and how dearly he wants to cling on to it.

"I was desperate. I thought 'I don't want to play just one Test and not score any runs.' It's one thing to play, but you want to succeed. It's great getting the cap, and you can always hang onto thatand treasure it, but to know you can succeed at that level is something I was pretty keen to do as well," Hussey said.
"I had tears in my eyes before the first ball. It was ridiculous."

And to add another what could have been dimension to it

Had Hussey been taken to England as the third opening batsman this summer he might have played for Australia several months earlier. But with little cricket outside the Tests, he had to be content with a one-day place while spearheading Durham's unexpected surge to promotion in the County Championship

But then, ironically, he would have replaced, and in the process ended the career of, the other most prolific post-Ashes scorer in the lineup - Mathew Hayden. Some mistakes turn out to be less costly after all.