Australian cricket great Mike Hussey explains why the Sydney Thunder made the right call in making David Warner captain
The Surge Pod: Why captaincy is crucial for Warner
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Mike Hussey knows all too well what it’s like to rediscover the competitive fire inside after stepping back from Australian national duties.
“I’ve had a long career in cricket. And I’ve had a lot of good experiences with World Cups and Ashes and things like that,” Hussey said on the latest episode of The Surge Podcast.
“But I’ll still say my Thunder experience was one of the best experiences in my whole career.”
David Warner sits in a similar boat to where Hussey was a decade ago, with a new challenge being vital in getting the best out of stars who recently stepped down from the international stage.
“I think that’s why it was so important the Thunder made David Warner captain. I know Chris Green had done it and did a pretty good job to be fair,” Hussey said.
“But when you’ve retired from international cricket and you’ve been to the highest level and then you come back to play in the Big Bash, you almost need something extra to be really up for it and really fully invested.
“I get the feeling it's the same thing with David Warner.
“They could have easily said ‘Davey you’ve been great for Australia, just come back and enjoy your cricket and have a bit of fun’.
“He’s been doing that for the last 20 years of his life. He needs that extra little bit of carrot. He needs to be leading this team and driving the standards from the top to really make a difference.
“And that will drive him on as well.”
Hussey speaks from experience.
The middle-order star was with the Perth Scorchers during his final summer of international cricket in 2012-13, but knew he needed to pursue a different goal.
“I was at the Scorchers and Justin Langer said ‘play, have fun, we’ve got a great team here’," he said.
“I could have done that and could have enjoyed that.
“But the opportunity to go to a place like the Sydney Thunder, which was really struggling at the time, and really have a meaningful contribution in helping build it back up was something that was so motivating and got me so invested.
You can watch the full episode of The Surge on YouTube with Adam White, Brad Hodge and Beau Webster or catch up with the latest clips in the Big Bash App.