David Hussey has returned to Trent Bridge ahead of what will be his seventh season with Nottinghamshire (he didn’t play in 2008).
“I first got the opportunity in 2004 when Mick (Newell) asked me to come over and play for Notts”, he recalls. “I loved it then and I’ve loved it every year since and I would like to keep coming back. I think it’s a great place to play cricket and there’s a great person to play under in Mick Newell.”
‘Huss’ won’t feature in the forthcoming championship match against Worcestershire – with Adam Voges set to play his final first class match for the county – but the pair will then link up for the twenty20 programme which begins next Friday (3 June).
As in the 2010 campaign Hussey will be leading Notts in that competition and believes there is some unfinished business from last season.
“I thought we played consistently well throughout the season but it was disappointing to finish the way we did, losing on Duckworth Lewis on Finals Day”, he says.
“But there’s another opportunity this year and hopefully we can go one step further and take home some silverware.”
In recent times supporters have been able to admire and enjoy the batting talents of either Voges or Hussey but now they will line up in the same side, a proposition that understandably delights the 33 year old.
“It’s always good having plenty of Australians in the squad. Adam’s just a fantastic person and he’ll fit in perfectly in our middle order and hopefully have the tournament of his life. If one of our batters goes well we generally win most games of cricket and I think we’ll do well again this year.”
Hussey returns to Nottingham after representing Kings X1 Punjab in the recent IPL. Their normal home venue is in the city of Chandigarh but their final programme of fixtures took them to the Himalayan foothills and the town of Dharamsala.
“It was an unbelievable place”, he says.
“The cricket ground is superb – maybe one of the best in India - and the views of the big Himalayan mountain’s are second to none. It really brings you back down to earth and it’s such a beautiful place.”
In Dharamsala ‘Huss’ paid a visit to the area’s most celebrated personality, The Dalai Lama.
“I took my wife and child over to meet Mr Lama – His Holiness - and I was fortunate to get my child blessed by him. He’s got a bit of a sense of humour and a lovely man. He turned up to our last game but I think that was bad luck for us because we ended up losing that game but he told us afterwards that he’d had a ball at the game. I found him to be a lovely man and very easy going.”
Nottinghamshire supporters will be in for a real treat if Hussey can fulfil one of his remaining ambitions in the game this summer. Last year, after scoring 251 not out at Headingley, he revealed that he’d like to score a first class triple century – to emulate his brother Mike, who has three of them on his cv already.
“I’d like to think I could still do it”, he confesses. “Although I’d always rather score zero so long as the team wins. Individual scores are very good but they don’t really help if you don’t win the game. That match against Yorkshire ended up being a draw because of rain which was disappointing because it would have put us well clear in the championship table and it probably all wouldn’t have come down to the last day.”
The Victorian star admits he managed to keep up to speed with the events of last September at Old Trafford and would love to be involved in something similar this time.
“I remember winning the championship in 2005 down in Canterbury but I didn’t really understand how much it meant. I know how much the boys enjoyed winning this one and they enjoyed all the celebrations afterwards. Hopefully we can now have a good summer and repeat the achievement again this time.”