Daring to dream

IT IS not so long ago that Michael Hussy was cast as a reliable batsman lacking the special ability required to break out of his mould. At once he was a sound shield player, an honest journeyman, a skillful operator and all the other labels that meant he was never going to wear the colours of his country. It is not that observers were fools. The sentiments were universal. Seldom has a batsman so far surpassed his supposed possibilities. More than most, Hussy had to conquer himself before he could conquer the world. He took his time about it but it was worth the wait.

And there he was in the thick of the action once again, looking like he belonged, looking like he had been in Test cricket all his life. Perhaps he had, in his mind. Hard as they pressed, the Indians could not remove him until he had made 146. He was Australia's last man out, with the score on 430.

Once more his bat was broad, his shot selection faultless, his footwork alert and his placement precise. Somewhere along the way he must have erred, missed a ball or been in danger, yet he never really looked like getting out. He remains an uncracked code.

Come to think of it, he was troubled by Anil Kumble early in his innings as the ageing trouper probed away, but before long the left-hander had worked it out and, anyhow, his edges went along the ground. Almost always his tickles stay down. Old professionals know how to do that, using soft hands and a dead bat, avoiding wafting away with the profligacy of youth. Most of them skidded away through gaps. Even that was not entirely due to luck.

So there he was, the immovable object, holding the innings together, ensuring that the Australians did not squander their advantage. To that end he wore down the attack, thereby adding to the pressure on the home batsmen. Better than most, Hussey knows the value of secured runs. As usual he advanced unobtrusively and it took a glance at the board to realise that he had reached 24 and then 43 and the other posts along his route. He does not set out to collar the bowling, just to score as quickly and as safely as possible. All that hard yakka in domestic cricket taught him a lot about making the right decisions at the crease. Discernment had been a weakness. Those seasons did not curb his ambition so much as inform his mind. Accordingly, he arrived in Test cricket armed with a lot of knowledge and plenty of experience. He was able to bat regularly and to study his craft without feeling that his career, his entire life, depended on the next ball.