David Hussey prolongs captaincy role for Melbourne Stars

39-year old David Hussey confirmed that he would be returning as skipper of the Melbourne Stars for the upcoming edition of the KFC Big Bash League. This move has also gone on to quash rumors about Hussey replacing David Saker as the coach of the Victoria Bushrangers in the domestic scenario. Hussey currently serves as the batting mentor for the Victorian outfit. Earlier reports had named the younger of the Hussey brothers as the successor to David Saker who stepped down from his position as coach to replace Craig McDermott as the bowling coach of the Australian national side.

Hussey revealed he wasn’t quite ready for the Bushrangers’ top coaching gig. “I loved playing for Victoria and I want to be part of their coaching structure for many years to come, but I think it’s a little bit too soon for me at the moment,” Hussey told the Herald Sun on Friday

Hussey also added that he was focused on getting a Victorian batsman into the Australian side. Recent years have seen fewer players from Victoria get the nod to play international cricket for Australia. Chris Rogers, Matthew Elliot, and Dean Jones are some of the few players who have had the honor of playing cricket for Australia.

“I’m really passionate about getting the next young Victorian players, or batsman, into the Test team,” Hussey said. “I think we’ve lacked a good quality batsman in the Test team for quite some time. I’d like to see a Marcus Stoinis or a Peter Handscomb or a young Sam Harper or Travis Dean even coming through and playing a lot of Test cricket for Australia.”

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“I had a ball last year, a breath of fresh air, it felt like a new squad and I think (coach) Steve Fleming’s brought a nice relaxed atmosphere and environment to the group,” Hussey said. “I thought maybe there was a little bit of unfinished business losing in the grand final, hopefully, we can go one step further this season.”