If he were available, Notts would sign him. That was the David Hussey policy at Trent Bridge once the unassuming Australian arrived in 2004 and proceeded to amass 1315 Championship runs in his debut season.
Although born (15 July 1977) in Western Australia, David Hussey played his cricket for Victoria from 2002 to 2014 and was a high scorer in all forms of the game – many rating him as the most talented Australian player never to have been capped in a Test match. Certainly, Notts fans were grateful for the Australian selectors’ failure to recognise his talents as he served the county well for nine productive seasons.
An aggressive right-hand batsman with a strong bottom-hand technique, he played for Nottinghamshire between 2004 and 2013. In his first season Hussey scored 1,315 runs and followed this in 2005 with another prolific season, scoring 1,293 runs He hit two centuries and one double century, 232* against Warwickshire, as Nottinghamshire went on to win the championship.
He reached four figures in 2005, 2006 and 2007 by which time his hard hitting One Day exploits had caught the attention of the Australian selectors. He made his ODI debut against West Indies in July 2008, an occasion he marked with a run-a-ball 50 and earned a lucrative contract with Kolkata Knight Riders in the Inaugural Indian Premier League.
In 2007, playing against Essex, Hussey scored a career best 275, off just 227 balls and with 14 sixes. His record for the year was an exceptional 1,259 runs @83.93. Hussey signed for Notts for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, but due to commitments to the Australian national team did not play in 2008 and only played 3 first-class games in 2009. The highlight of his stint in 2009 was a remarkable 120 off just 61 balls in the rain-hit NatWest Pro40 opener against Somerset.
Hussey committed to Nottinghamshire for 2010 – appearing in five first-class games during the championship winning season, including 251 not out at Headingley – and returned in 2011 before his call up for the Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka.
David left the county at the end of the 2013 season, signing off with a century against Somerset at Trent Bridge in the County Championship. During his final season he also helped Nottinghamshire beat Glamorgan by 87 runs to win the Yorkshire Bank 40 final at Lord's, their first one-day trophy since 1989.
He played 81 first-class matches for Notts scoring 6,312 runs @61.28; in List A cricket, he scored 1,990 runs for the County @37.54 in 72 matches and he scored 1,922 runs @35.59 in 70 T20 appearances.
During his career he played for three teams in the Indian Premier League: Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings. He also spent six seasons with the Melbourne Stars in the Australian Big Bash competition (2011/2-16/7) and is their current Head Coach.
Although never playing in a Test match, he represented Australia in 69 One Day Internationals and 39 T20 Internationals. Having played in a total of 192 First Class matches, he finished with 14,280 runs @52.50 runs and took 31 wickets with his off-breaks @60.70.
April 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 579