Hussey

Are we worried about MEKH?

We are!

I commented last week that I thought his best may well be behind him because he was elevated to test status at a relatively advanced age. You might argue that he was very successful in comparison to some youngsters who come into the game because he was such a seasoned campaigner with such a lot of first class runs behind him. You might equally argue that he had some of his prime as a batsman taken away.

I've had this feeling that recently, and it started in India, he's batted himself into a rut by going too much into his shell and not playing his shots. Perhaps he has to come out and score in a more positive vein. Atm, he looks caught betixt and between.

"Gretel" is in a spot of bother at the moment but he can come back. Unlike Clark (whose name has cropped up alnogside Hussey in a couple of reports letely because they're both late bloomers struggling ATM) it's not a fitness issue.

I think the fragility in the top order is throwing him a bit - he's not sure whether to dig in or play his shots when Aust are 2/50 etc like we have been regularly recently.

Maybe it's easier batting right down the order.

Yes, OPpy, darling? You called . . .

Hussey just got a cheap wicket. Seasons have turned on smaller things than that.

I am not optimistic about his future.

The selectors will now proceed to drop Hussey for the SCG Test and keep Hayden in the side.

The rationale will be 'Michael needs some time in the first-class arena to find his form, we expect him to return to the team in the future, while Matthew has been a proven performer over a long period, and we believe his next innings could well be his next big one.'

IMO looking good `til the end of the Ashes now, with Test retirement probably following that series. Hopefully he will finish on his own terms, and on a good note. He does seem at last to be emerging from his 2008-09 slump.

I'm all for that, so long as we get some of those leaves where the ball smashes into off stump moments...

Meh, I'd tolerate 3 of those for 400 runs in his farewell series ... and a few more good gully grabs