Published: Dec 22, 2015, 11:58 AM (IST)
Edited: Dec 22, 2015, 01:27 PM (IST)
With the Boxing Day test nearing this week, Australia has roped in Michael Hussey as their mentor to help the players in seamless transition back to Test cricket, following a mini stint with Big Bash League (BBL). Last week, Australia announced they have roped in Hussey and former Indian One-Day International (ODI) player Sridharan Sriram as mentors for ICC World Twenty20 (T20) 2016. Australia’s six members Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Joe Burns and Adam Voges have featured in BBL. On the other hand Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was to make a Test debut in Hobart, has been ruled out due to a shoulder injury while fielding in the T20 league. ALSO READ: Nathan Coulter-Nile suffers shoulder injury ahead of 2nd Test against West Indies
The Australian members who are playing the T20 format would face difficulty to shift back to Test mode. The squad is expected to assemble at Melbourne on Tuesday, December 22 with Hussey being handed over the task of fine tuning the players before they face West Indies on December 26. The 40-year-old does not feel that it is an easy task for the players to adjust to Test format.
As reported on cricbuzz.com, Hussey spoke to News Corp saying, “It takes time and that’s why it’s difficult for Test players coming back for one-off T20 games to make the adjustments. To me, I thought it took a few weeks to be fully adjusted between different formats. Just trying to get in line with the ball, let more balls go and play straighter in Tests is not easy.” Hussey was also roped in as a batting consultant for South Africa and their T20 series in India. He felt that shift in mindset could have a lot to do with the mental aspect of an individual’s game. ALSO READ: Michael Hussey, Sridharan Sriram to mentor Australia in ICC World T20 2016
Hussey, who is taking part in BBL as the captain of Sydney Thunder says, “It can be a bit of a mental thing. Going back to a Test match, you’re almost trying to bat more properly if you like and you can be a bit more inhibited in your stroke play. It can be hard to deal with but the more you do it, the more experienced and hopefully better at it you’re going to get.”
