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National duty is above IPL: Hussey

You don’t shake a tree and baggy green caps fall out
Australian cricketers are very well looked after

Melbourne: Joining the debate over Indian Premier League versus international cricket, Australian batsman Mike Hussey doubted if any player would relinquish his hard-earned national cap to play in the Twenty20 tournament “for any amount of money”.

“It’s time to set the record straight on the Indian Premier League. There are suggestions the golden eggs being laid by the IPL may force the premature retirement of Test veterans approaching the end of their playing days,” Hussey said.

“(But) I have signed a short-form contract indicating I am interested in playing in the IPL, if I am available. The “if” is very important here.

“You don’t shake a tree and baggy green caps fall out. It takes a lot of hard work to earn one. It took me about 15,000 first-class runs,” he wrote in his column for The Daily Telegraph.

Hussey, who is yet to sign an IPL contract, said representing his country was an honour while IPL would just be a bonus.

“It’s one of the greatest honours for an Australian sportsman and I wouldn’t retire any earlier just to play a few more IPL matches.

“My aim is to play as many Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches as possible for Australia and anything else that comes along will be a bonus. “Let’s be honest about that — Australian cricketers are very well looked after. We have nothing to complain about,” he added. — PTI

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