Shane Warne wants Phil Hughes in and Hussey out. What do you think?

Question

Former Australian leg spinner Shane Warne has called on the national selectors to sack veteran Mike Hussey.

Warne believes young opener Phillip Hughes, who scored 75 against Queensland at the Gabba yesterday under the eye of selector Jamie Cox, should be recalled with Shane Watson shifting down the order.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Warne was highly critical of Hussey's role in the side. The veteran faces enormous pressure in front of his home crowd in Perth in the third Test against the West Indies.

"Hussey should have put his hand up to open, so Shane Watson could bat in the middle order where he belongs. He's on his last legs, and it might be time to inject some youth into his spot," Warne was quoted, as saying.

Warne challenged the 21-year-old Hughes, who lost the Test opening spot during Australia's ill-fated Ashes series this year, to prove he is the exciting and worthy talent the selectors expected when they first picked him.

"He needs to show that playing cricket for Australia is important to him. He needs to go out and get lots of hundreds at Shield level and show he's hungry and also that he has overcome the technical difficulties against the short ball. He's a great talent, but he has to prove that, and that he wants it enough," Warne said.

Former Test selector John Benaud agreed with Warne's sentiments.

"I believe it is time for Hussey to go. His footwork is terrible. He is totally out of touch. It is not his average that matters when you analyse his form, it's the direction of his form graph. It has been going down for some time. I would have dropped him in Perth," Benaud said.

"Australia cannot lose the series. It is a dead Test. It's a shame Brad Hodge isn't still around but there are still good players like Tasmania's George Bailey coming through. If he scores 70 or more in Perth this could go on and on," he added.

Since the start of 2008 Hussey has scored 1519 runs for the mediocre average of 36.1 in 25 Tests.

At age 34, he appears a player in decline though Australia's selection panel, renowned for their conservatism, appear set on shepherding him through to next summer's Ashes series where Australia could field three 35-year-old batsmen, Hussey, Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting.

Warne said that while young leg spinning New South Welshman Steve Smith was one of the more exciting prospects for Australia in the future, incumbent slow bowler Nathan Hauritz had earned his spot.

"He's one of the big ticks from 12 months ago to now, the really big improver in the Australian side,"

Warne said. "He deserves to be the No. 1 spinner at the moment."

Would the Arm Chair Selectors by the Pool Side listen?
Your comments please.

Answer 1

That is the difference b.w murali n warny .. Reference to yesterday's Q of tum tum about murali n warny..



"Hussey should have put his hand up to open, so Shane Watson could bat in the middle order where he belongs," Warne said. "He's on his last legs, and it might be time to inject some youth into his spot."



y hussey shift to open, just becuz team needs youngster. rubbish. Australia now manage to fill the gap of hayden and langer, so they will adjust when he leaves the team. Hussey to me is in the list of top 5 batsmen of the world from last 4-5 years.

warny should say straight that , drop hussey, let hughes in and make place to watson in middle order.

btw

Y he had not advice to selectors in his last year or so to sack him for youngster, or he will bowl after young spinner or with spinner?

what efforts he did/do for Aus to find a spinner after his retirement? nothing , he just making firing from his mouth.

Answer 2

The real problem is that even if Hussey finds form again, he still has a limited shelf life. Hughes, however, is a work in progress, there's room for both error and improvement. That said, it's been proven that he's not quite ready for opening the batting for Australia, he needs to work on his technique a little bit more.



If Hussey goes, then the selectors just need to fill his spot with another specialist middle order batsman and get on with it. Watson is doing fine in the openers slot so it's hard to inject Hughes into the lineup at this point. He is probably better as a long-term replacement for Simon Katich, who will retire in the next few years.

Answer 3

I don't think Husssey should be dropped. He's averaged 36 in his last 25 tests. Big deal, players have had worse averages than that before.



I want Hughes in the team, but I can't see him fitting in yet. Maybe get rid of North and move Watson down the order.



Hauritz has been awesome since his inclusion in the side. Steve Smith could be pushing for a spot in the ODI team, since he's already played Twenty20.

Answer 4

Phil Hughes needs more time in the Sheffield Shield to learn his own game, inside and out. As a senior player, Hussey brings experience to the table that cannot be quantified in runs or wickets.

The Tele is a poor source of information, it has a very long tradition of pushing the claims of NSW players over everyone else.

Answer 5

He and Clarke are the most defensive players Australia has got now. When the top order fails these two are the one to stop the collapse. So I fel Hussey has to be played with

Answer 6

i dnt think Hussey should be dropped.. Phil Huges is a good batsman,, no doubt,, but he certainly cannot replace Mike Hussey at this stage...its similar to "REPLACING SUM ONE LIKE SACHIN TENDULKAR WITH BADRINATH (or xyz) IN INDIAN CRICKET..........Hussey is 1 of d gr88 batsman n Australians shud be pleased 2 have sumone like Hussey in their team....Just dropping Mike Hussey only Caz he did not open sounds pretty weird...Hussey himself is a gr88 middle order player and he should keep his position intact.....after all he is one of the mst CONSISTENT players in the Australian side both in one dayers as well as Tests.>>>

Answer 7

i want both hughes and hussey to play

Answer 8

no