‘He wanted to kill me’ – Michael Hussey names toughest bowler he faced in unfiltered revelation

Former Australian batter Michael Hussey recently revealed the toughest bowler he ever faced in his career. Hussey recalled a moment so intense that he genuinely feared for his life, while naming South African pace legend Dale Steyn as one of the toughest he faced.

Hussey recalled two bowlers who troubled him, including Muttiah Muralitharan and Steyn. He further stated about the Steyn incident and admitted that, was the only time he truly lost it on a cricket field. The moment came during the second Test between Australia and South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban, in 2009. The pitch had a noticeable bounce that was making life difficult for the batters, with Mitchell Johnson wreaking havoc for Australia, breaking Graeme Smith’s hand and injuring Jacques Kallis.

Notably, Australia dominated the match, with Phil Hughes and Simon Katich scoring centuries. However, the former shared he was struggling at the crease and was trying to survive. He then revealed the incident in which Steyn had asked for a spell to just kill Hussey.

“Dale Steyn just yelled out to the captain. He goes, skip it. Give me the ball. I don’t want to get him out. I just want to kill him. And I sort of thought, oh, this is going to be fun. And sure enough, he just came in and bowled bouncer after bouncer after bouncer. And I’m ducking and wheeling. It’s hit me on the grill. It’s hit me on the shoulder, under the armpits. And I could actually just feel the blood coming up my legs. And I thought, oh no, I’m gone here. Sure enough, another bouncer comes past. And he comes down and says, and I just said, Dale Steyn. He said, what did you say? I said, Dale Steyn,” Hussey said on The Overlap Cricket.

Meanwhile, Hussey and Steyn shared a tough on-field rivalry throughout their careers. Against each other in Tests, Steyn bowled 228 balls to Hussey, conceding 89 runs while dismissing him seven times. On the other hand, Hussey averaged just 12.71 against Steyn.