Turning Goliath

The problem with a nickname like "Mr Cricket" is that it's hard to surpass. If the personification of the sport, Michael Hussey, fetched only $350,000 in the Indian Premier League auction and his younger brother David was paid $625,000, what possible title is suitable for the more expensive man? "Sir Cricket"? "Lord Cricket"?

Perhaps "Mr Twenty20" would be the most appropriate option. It is the only format where David Hussey has been handed an international debut, although in his sole match he was not required to bat. Kolkata did not care. They forked out more for Hussey, who does not even hold a Cricket Australia contract, than for Ricky Ponting ($400,000).

Without doubt the money is more important to Hussey than to the amply remunerated Ponting. If you include match fees, the maximum Hussey could be paid by Cricket Victoria is around $150,000 a season. His IPL deal means the ability to wipe out his mortgage swiftly; it also gives him long-awaited bragging rights over Michael.

The news of his price tag was relayed to Hussey in the SCG change rooms soon after he had demolished New South Wales in a one-day match. "We were all just sitting around celebrating the win and just chatting away," he said. "Peter Siddle was on the internet and he blurted out Cameron White's price ($500,000) and I was thinking, 'Wow, that's amazing'. I got blurted out about an hour and a half later and, well, I was just gobsmacked and really didn't know what to think. It's pretty exciting times."

Whether the Kolkata bidders had watched Hussey dismantle the Blues attack is unknown, although it is possible, as FR Cup matches are broadcast in India. If they had tuned in, they would have seen him hammer a 60-ball hundred, the second fastest in Australia's domestic one-day history. The innings was typical of Hussey, whose batting style could best be described as urgent.

His Twenty20 nickname is "Bomber" and he frequently demolishes opposition attacks, sending spectators ducking to avoid the leather-and-cork shrapnel that rockets out of the battle zone. He is not a fine technician like his brother, but his front-foot, bottom-hand methods are startlingly effective. If the siblings each made a century on the same day, it would be David's that children would try to replicate in backyard games, perhaps with oversized helmets rattling around on their heads, just as his own still does.

That would be fitting, as it was in the family's own garden, in Mullaloo, on the outskirts of Perth, that Hussey first learnt the game. Backyard matches between the brothers typically finished with arguments over a dismissal, which in turn often led to the younger Hussey locking himself in the family car in pouty protest.

At the time, Michael probably seemed like a giant, but now Hussey is really starting to play with the big boys. In the IPL he will be in the same side as Ponting, Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Sourav Ganguly. He hopes it will help bring his goal of playing Test cricket a step closer, and believes working under the franchise's coach John Buchanan will be an extra plus. "The IPL I'm really looking forward to," he said. "For me it's a massive bonus to learn off the world's best. My team is Kolkata, with Ricky Ponting, so I'm really looking forward to playing with him and seeing how he prepares, so hopefully I can get a little bit of experience which improves me as a cricketer."

He is still signed with Nottinghamshire but his IPL participation and his call-up for Australia's one-day tour of West Indies will limit his county output this year. It was in that first-class arena that Hussey initially made his mark, before his move from Western Australia to Victoria paid off. He has just completed his most successful state season, scoring 1008 Pura Cup runs at 56, and being named Victoria's player of the year in all three formats.

He has been mentioned as the prototype Twenty20 player thanks to his combination of explosive batting, better-than-handy offspin, and acrobatic fielding. However, it is an unwelcome tag. "I definitely don't want to be pigeonholed as a Twenty20 player," Hussey said. "My ultimate goal is to play Test cricket for Australia. That's what I'm working towards.

"I get the feeling that I'm reasonably close. But there's certainly good players floating around. Simon Katich's name is up in lights again. There's Chris Rogers, there's Adam Voges, there's just so many good players floating around, so you've just got to be scoring runs at the right time."

The Caribbean limited-overs trip will be his first tour with the national squad and he is desperate to force his way into the starting line-up. His Twenty20 international debut came at the MCG against India in February and although his involvement amounted only to a catch and a wicket, the team experience was enough to whet his appetite.

"I loved every minute of the Twenty20. Walking out in front of a home crowd MCG, in front of 80,000 was an amazing buzz. It has motivated me to play a little bit higher. I desperately want to play international one-day cricket and then Test cricket. I was pretty disappointed, I really wanted to walk out and bat and show my skills in front of my home crowd but to be honest I was just happy the Australian boys got the win."

One of those boys was Hussey's old backyard opponent. Because David had to move to Melbourne to find a Pura Cup position, he and Michael have rarely played together in adult life. The Twenty20 international was their first match together since a couple of Australia A games several years ago. There should be more to come, but until then Hussey can at least claim to be the most expensive Twenty20 cricketer in Mr Cricket's family. "I think the score is 20 to 1," Hussey said, "so I'm glad I've finally got one up on him."