Michael Hussey still cannot believe that he has guided Australia to the Twenty20 World Cup finals with his hurricane knock against Pakistan but he is quite sure that the 24-ball 60 is the best innings of his career so far. Chasing an intimidating 191 for six, Australia were on the rack at 105 for five in the 13th over and needed 70 runs from five overs at one stage.
Going into the final over of the innings, the Aussies needed 18 runs to win. But Hussey turned the match on its head with unalloyed pyrotechnics, putting the issue across Pakistan with one ball to spare.
"That is probably the best I have ever played. I earlier considered the Ashes Test in Adelaide where I hit the last ball for a six as my best ever cricket innings. But this was the semis and a very crucial match for us. It is the best innings I have ever played," he said.
Hussey said he wasn't confident that Australia could achieve the target and still can't believe that his team has actually made the finals, where it will take on England tomorrow. "Even I had plenty of doubts on whether we could score the runs. I can't believe it myself."
Looking back at the incredible knock, Hussey said he took time to get his eye in before he started hitting the ball all over the park.
"Initially, I take a few balls to get in. That is what I was trying to do, to get the strike. By the end of the innings I was trying to hit every ball. It happened to go my way. I am very, very happy," said the beaming middle-order batsman. Asked about his thoughts going into the last over, Hussey said he just wanted to hit every ball out of the stadium.
"I just wanted to try and hit every ball for a shot. If he had bowled yorkers and they were perfect, there wasn't much you can do about it. But he (Saeed Ajmal) missed his length just by little bit.
"I told myself, God please hit the last ball with the middle of the bat. I didn't know what it felt like till I did it. I was delighted to see the elation on my teammates faces when they ran in. I am so excited to be in the final," said Hussey. Hussey said he enjoys playing Twenty20 cricket.
"I have always enjoyed playing Twenty 20 cricket. My first love is Test cricket, first and foremost. But Twenty20 is a great format for the kids to enjoy and take to it. "Hopefully, they take the game up. It is an awesome concept. The players are getting better by the day at it. Batting and bowling skills continue to improve. I reckon it will keep getting better," he said.
Meanwhile, skipper Michael Clarke commended his trusted match-winner.
"I willed myself not to watch the final over. But when I saw one six come after another, I got into the game. It would have been hard to believe at one stage. It was an amazing day today. It is a freakish performance, unbelievable to achieve by a cricketer in any form of the game. Thanks to Hussey, we are in the final," said the Australian captain. PTI
