Are you serious? Mr Cricket is the perfect name for someone who obviously loves playing the game so much. He is not bad at it either. He should be batting at four, (flick the over-rated Martyn) and I believe is one of the top five batsmen in the world.

While I applaud you for making a valid comparison between Hick and Hussey, I am not sure it was necessary to deride Greame Hick to the point where Hussey became the anti-Hick. Unfair and insensitive.

Hussey is like a lot of Australian batsmen of recent times, in that they have done their time, honing their skills in various first-class comps, before making the step up to Test level. Maybe there is a theme for another one of your excellent books Gideon? Law, Lehmann, Love, Jaques, Hodge, Katich, Rogers, Bevan and brother David Hussey all have first-class averages around 50 or more. It seems amazing that a lot of these players are either finished with their Test careers, still waiting in the wings for a recall or just striving for that first cap! It also seems stunning that batsman like Lehmann and Bevan still average around 58 in the first-class game at the age of 36 but can't get a look in any more. Remember how long it took Martyn, Langer and Hayden to establish themselves?　Some people forget that Martun played his first Test in 1992, Langer 1993 and Hayden 1994 before finally becoming regulars. Mike Hussey has been playing Tests for 13 months and is 31 years old. The next 4-5 years will be his golden years given the past experiences of others. He has waited his turn and therefore his infectious enthusiasm, something I haven't really seen since Derek Randall, is welcome and earned. His first two Ashes innings have shown maturity and a well-tuned understand-ing of the team's needs. His response to pressure cooker situations has been a total opposite to the heralded wonder boy Graeme Hick in 1991. Hick's average is 52 in first-class and like Bevan, around 30 for Tests. Hussey is definitely the Anti-Hick. Unheralded, unflamboyant and highly effective!

brief but brilliant. fantastic title - conveying the entire point of the article in 2 words. great writing, please keep it up

Agreed! The Aussie middle order was always nightmare for any team playing against them. And over the past year, they have added Hussey to the mix. Looking at the performances of some of the batsmen playing above him in the batting order, perhaps Australia might look at Hussey at no. 4 and Phil Jacques opening?

I have to agree with the nickname of Mike Hussey. Obviously it isnt one he picekd himself and hopefully no one from the Aussie team was involved (unless of course it is all a massive piss take and the media have no idea)! What about Slip, Slop or Slap as he wear that much sunscreen?!

Mike Hussey is making up for lost time. He seems to be such a great professional. He is the difference why I believe Australia will win the Ashes. He has given the Aussie middle-order the solidity, the fluency and the flexibility which seemed missing in 2005.
He is very adept at knowing where his scroing options are and judges a match situation superbly.
Australian cricket had a gem hiding in the cupboard only for it to cring out from the closet and let it shine once again. A top class cricketer.

If his technique is as easy to break as Enigma, then let's hope England don't pick any Poles sometime soon, they might just place a man in at short extra cover and that could be the key to decoding why he bombes out to straight balls which at present only seem to happen once he has passed 70. Like enigma, getting real-time results is everything

I though Monty Panesar was Mr. Cricket for his unflinching enthusiasm for bowling.

Hussey was cool and calm and a pleasure to watch in Adelaide. His running between wickets with both Ponting and Clarke was magnificent, putting pressure on the English in the field. His fielding was also a delight. As for nicknames, I would endorse blogger Tony T's homorous choice of "Shameless"

Hussey is a top class performer at any situation. I hope he keeps on performing like this for a long time. He does his job very quietly but very effectively. If only Hick too would have batted like Hussey.

The fact that Michael Hussey had to wait so long to get into the Australian team is the concern. It has become harder and harder to get out of the Australian batting line-up.......there needs to be a longer-term approach taken to ensure younger batsmen get the opportunity. Apart from M. Clarke, who are the younger batsmen to be drafted into this team before the end of this series? They are there, but need to be tried.

Oh dear....Hussey's nickname is one of the best & funniest I've heard. The point you miss is that it indicates a level of obsession and dedication to the game that is notewothy even by comparison to his professional cricketer colleages. It is a not so gentle dig at him and his fastidious approach to the game...I laughed out loud when I first heard it and now don't like to hear him called anything else.

Hussey has the advantage of coming in batting at 5 in a settled line-up with stars such as Ponting, Martyn, Hayden Langer and Gilchrist.
Hick was thrust in at 3 in a failing side against the Windies and expected to be the side's premier batsman from the outset.
Vast difference in their situations, and Hick was unfortunate to be on the end of a media who seemed to hold a grudge against him for not being as phenomenal as they had hoped.

Can we create a dynasty and get the young David Hussey into the team at the expense of the old Martyn? Bit like the Waugh bros. Clearly he has the talent and this would rejuvenate the middle order for the next five years!