Hussey- I feared I would be dropped if I revealed plans to retire

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/624848.html

Good interview. The fact that he was worried the Aus selectors would drop him if he announced his retirement at the start of the Summer is both him underestimating his status in Australian cricket, and also revealing that he thinks the Aus selectors are a bunch of twats.

Of course, Brettig didn't ask him, "What really happened in the dressing room after your last test with the boat party and Michael Clarke?"

Perhaps he'll reveal all in the autobiography.

England dropped Graham Thorpe when he announced his plans to call time on his career after the 2005 Ashes.

Most selectors are quite twattish.

Henry wrote:http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/624848.html

Good interview. The fact that he was worried the Aus selectors would drop him if he announced his retirement at the start of the Summer is both him underestimating his status in Australian cricket, and also revealing that he thinks the Aus selectors are a bunch of twats.

Of course, Brettig didn't ask him, "What really happened in the dressing room after your last test with the boat party and Michael Clarke?"

Perhaps he'll reveal all in the autobiography.

And perhaps he has, but that just wouldn't be interesting enough.

I was more interested in his thoughts about seemingly never being taken seriously as a team leader.His name wasn't even mentioned for VC when Clarke was made Akela, strangely when you consider his Ashes series and the one the new head honcho had had.

He led Australia to two embarrassing but utterly inconsequential defeats to NZ between 06-07 Ashes and the 07 WC, games which at least he could be bothered turning up for (unlike many), and that must have stuck in somebody's craw for some God-knows-what reason. In retrospect, Twatto getting the VC gig over him was absolutely ridiculous and should have been more hotly debated at the time.

There's a line in the chorus of 'Big Yellow Taxi' that applies....

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Dello wrote:England dropped Graham Thorpe when he announced his plans to call time on his career after the 2005 Ashes.

Most selectors are quite twattish.

Thorpe's back was completely gone though. He needed a cortisone injection before each match just to gingerly get through it.

That wasn't why they dropped him though. He was still getting the job done - they just didn't want to have to choose between their two new, shiny batting prospects, Kelvin Porterhouse and Eoin Bale.

In hindsight, it's a mystery why the choice seemingly had to be Thorpe or Pietersen, rather than Thorpe or Bell. Bell's 160 against the might of Bangladesh seemed to make him un-droppable.

Imagine what a breeze the 2005 Ashes would've been if England had a top class batsman shuffling out at number four instead of the mascot.

(I think Bell batted four in that series, Pietersen five)

His treatment in the ODIs tends to prove his fears.

Why should any player announce their retirement intentions at the beginning of a summer?? Remember SRW doing it? That turned into an eternal horrie whingefest about Tugga's farewell tour.

I find Paris's need to explain himself odd.

I find the need to publish the obvious weird.

Why TF would they dump Hussey any time this summer, when he's batted the lights out, after they didn't dump him on previous occasions when his form made him eminently more dumpable? Why would he think that? He does not come across as paranoid. Who whispered what into his ear?

In retro it also seems a bit odd that even if Pup didn't want to bat no 4 himself, he didn't
move Huss up there.

Dello wrote:England dropped Graham Thorpe when he announced his plans to call time on his career after the 2005 Ashes.

Most selectors are quite twattish.

What difference would Thorpe have made though? It's hard to see him making the difference at Lords where the Aussies were all over us like a rash.

In the drawn test at Old Trafford, it wasn't lack of runs that stopped us from winning.

And your pin-up boy saved us at The Oval.

Basil wrote:

Dello wrote:England dropped Graham Thorpe when he announced his plans to call time on his career after the 2005 Ashes.

Most selectors are quite twattish.

What difference would Thorpe have made though? It's hard to see him making the difference at Lords where the Aussies were all over us like a rash.

In the drawn test at Old Trafford, it wasn't lack of runs that stopped us from winning.

And your pin-up boy saved us at The Oval.

I doubt he'd have bagged a pair at the Oval with the series on the line, for starters.

Edgbaston might not have been such a nipper had our specialist number four contributed more than 27 runs in the game.

Trent Bridge certainly wouldn't have been if he'd managed more than six runs over the two innings.

In fact, in the last two, crucial Tests, Ian Bell brought just six runs to the party in total. What difference would Thorpe have made? By virtue of not being a complete passenger the majority of the time, I'd imagine he would've been a step up from the gimp who took his place.

Love it.

2005 brings back great memories.

Dello wrote:

Basil wrote:

Dello wrote:England dropped Graham Thorpe when he announced his plans to call time on his career after the 2005 Ashes.

Most selectors are quite twattish.

What difference would Thorpe have made though? It's hard to see him making the difference at Lords where the Aussies were all over us like a rash.

In the drawn test at Old Trafford, it wasn't lack of runs that stopped us from winning.

And your pin-up boy saved us at The Oval.

I doubt he'd have bagged a pair at the Oval with the series on the line, for starters.

Edgbaston might not have been such a nipper had our specialist number four contributed more than 27 runs in the game.

Trent Bridge certainly wouldn't have been if he'd managed more than six runs over the two innings.

In fact, in the last two, crucial Tests, Ian Bell brought just six runs to the party in total. What difference would Thorpe have made? By virtue of not being a complete passenger the majority of the time, I'd imagine he would've been a step up from the gimp who took his place.

Still 2 - 1 though.