Mr Cricket takes a breather

It wouldn't have shown up on a CAT scan or MRI. No medication could be prescribed. Therapy - be it physio, psycho or aroma - was futile.

Still, there was something undeniably wrong with Michael Hussey; something insidiously corrosive, and in terms of its impact on form, every bit as a debilitating as a physical injury. Even the casual cricket observer could detect that his renowned powers of concentration and shot selection were lacking during the back-to-back series against South Africa. Hesitancy and uncertainty were taking hold.

The diagnosis, as it turned out, was one that did not require a medical degree to deliver. Hussey was exhausted. Months of continuous playing, practising and travelling had taken their toll on a batsman many had assumed was indefatigable. The ICC's chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, recently espoused that the current volume of international cricket is sustainable. Hussey has been proof that is not the case.

So it was that, by the end of the limited-overs series in South Africa, Australia's selectors had decided to intervene. Hussey was to skip the one-day tour of Pakistan and the handsome paydays of the IPL to do nothing more than sleep, relax and play with the kids. His Kookaburra blade, which had spent more time at his side than his wife had in the preceding months, was to be stowed away, his baggy green mothballed.

"It's a very subtle thing," Hussey recalls. "You can actually be feeling quite good day to day - and I felt like I was batting really well in the nets - but in international cricket, if you are even one or two per cent off your game, the opposition will expose you. I have felt like that before, during the odd county stint, but when you're playing guys like Dale Steyn, who are sending them down near enough to 100mph, it becomes difficult.

"When I look back on it now, I can see that mentally I was washed. That constant procession of hotels, net sessions and matches can catch up with you, and as much as you might want to fight it, the only way is to get away and take a break The first few days at home were a blur, and it sort of hit me how much it had affected me. But after that, it was great to have a couple of weeks playing with the kids and spending time at home. It went very quickly"

Rested, Hussey has now made the familiar trek to England, albeit for the unfamiliar purpose of an Ashes tour. Though thousands upon thousands of runs have flowed from his bat, from the Rose Bowl to Chester-le-Street and everywhere in between, none have been scored as a member of the Australian team, for whom he debuted in the immediate aftermath of the 2005 Ashes series.

England supporters have long feared the impact of Hussey. Pleasantly surprised by his omission from the 2005 touring party, England's nightmares were realised two years later when he reeled off 415 runs at 138.33 in the first three Tests of the ensuring Ashes series. His career average at the time stood at a rather robust 86.33, and "best since Bradman" conversations were frequent.

But much has changed since those heady days. Lean campaigns in Australia and South Africa have reduced that once-mighty batting average to a decidedly more mortal 55.29. A brief, indifferent World Twenty20 campaign did little to raise the spirits, and Hussey now finds himself entering an Ashes series with confidence suffering a mild lull.

"Without doubt the tour games will be vitally important for me. If I can get out there and put together a few big innings, hopefully the confidence will be right up there from the word go. I really enjoy batting on English pitches, and I feel that they suit my style of batting. The challenge now is to try and get that momentum started."

The Australians need Hussey more than ever. In a reconfigured batting line-up that features Phillip Hughes and Simon Katich in the opening slots, and Marcus North (or, perhaps, Shane Watson) at No. 6, Hussey's steady temperament and veteran presence should serve as a reassuring constant in an otherwise changing side.

That, alas, was not the case the last Australian summer, and Hussey's struggles against the South Africans - he managed just 85 runs at 17 in the three-Test series - was a key component in Australia's first home series defeat in 16 years. His Test career to this point has been defined by his ability to lead from the front. Now, for the first time, he must mount an international comeback.

"You probably don't come in with as much confidence, but I know my game and I know how to prepare to play well," he said. "I've got to have a lot of belief in that and hopefully I will be okay."