David Hussey: 10 interesting things to know about the Australian all-rounder

David Hussey, born July 15, 1977, played 69 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 39 T20Is for Australia, and was an integral member of their ODI squad for about half a decade. On his 38th birthday, Shiamak Unwalla looks at 10 interesting things to know about “Mr Cricket’s” younger brother.

1.  Following in his brother’s footsteps

David is two years younger than his brother Mike Hussey, the man known around the world as “Mr Cricket”. Much like Mike, David too had to score truckload of runs before getting a call-up to the national side. Unlike Mike, though, David was unable to enjoy the same success, though a career spanning 69 ODIs and 39 T20Is across five years for one of the best teams in world cricket is impressive enough.

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2.  The Bushranger

Though he was born in Western Australia, David made a name for himself playing for Victoria. Making his First-Class debut for the state in 2002-03, David plays for the side even now. Around the mid-2000s a bout of poor form made David consider leaving Victoria, but he was coaxed into staying. The move paid rich dividends, and in 2007-08, he was named Victoria’s Player of the Year in all three formats.

3.  A record chase

Hussey first became a household name when he scored an unbeaten 212 to help Victoria chase down a record 455 against New South Wales in 2003-04. The opposition captain was Steve Waugh, who was suitably impressed with the knock.

4.  T20 legend

One of the leading run-scorers in all T20 cricket — he is currently fifth on the all-time list with 5,822 runs, Hussey is one of the most sought-after players in T20 leagues across the world.

5.  IPL windfall

Still a relative unknown in 2008, David was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a stunning sum of $625,000 in the first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction. David was bought for lot more than the likes of established pros such as his brother Mike and Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.

6.  T20 specialist

Hussey has played T20 cricket for teams like Victoria, Melbourne Stars, Nottinghamshire, KKR, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Northern Districts, and Antigua Hawksbills.

7.  Wrongly stereotyped

The flipside to being such a hugely successful cricketer in the shortest format of the game was that Hussey was stereotyped as a T20 specialist. As a result he was never considered to be good enough for Test cricket. However, Hussey’s First-Class record is outstanding: In 192 matches he has scored 14,280 runs at 52.50; marginally better than his illustrious brother Mike’s average of 52.13.

8.  An outstanding fielder

Much like Mike, David too is a terrific fielder. Though he was not the first man to do it, David was one of the pioneers of the “inside-out” catch at the boundary.

9.  Husseys and CSK

Ever since the start of IPL, there has been at least one Hussey in the Chennai Super Kings. Mike was one of the main players for CSK from 2008-2013 before transferring to Mumbai Indians in 2014. However, after Dwayne Bravo’s injury CSK picked up the previously unsold David. After the 2014 season David was let go of, and Mike was bought back! As a result, CSK have never played without a Hussey in their squad!

10.  Family life

Mike and David were highly-competitive as children, and in David’s own words they caused their mother used to “tear her hair out.” However, once Mike turned 16 and left home to start playing cricket seriously, the relationship of the brothers improved, and they are now extremely close.

David revealed in Sydney Morning Herald that when Victoria were playing Western Australia in a Sheffield Shield match in 2010, the severely out-of-form Mike had got out cheaply in the first innings and was dejected, thinking his international career might be over. David — despite playing for the opposite team — motivated his brother and asked him to “go out in the second innings and just smash us [Victoria] everywhere.” Sure enough, Mike scored a terrific century in the second innings, Western Australia won, and Mike retained his spot in the national side.

(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)