Mr Cricket: driven to succeed

Cricket has been the heartbeat of Mike Hussey's life since the age of 12, about the time that he found it more comfortable to bat lefthanded than right.

He adores the game, analyses it, researches it and respects it.

Described as Bradmanesque, Hussey is the fastest batsmen ever to reach 1000 test runs, and he certainly knows a thing or two about how to put willow on leather.

Since first donning the baggy green in early 2005, he has tormented opposition bowlers the worldover.

Whether dashing English Ashes dreams at home or shining in oneday colours, Hussey is a batsman and cricketer of outstanding ability, versatility and class.

But it wasn't always this way. Few at his first club, Perthbased Wanneroo, rated the skinny and shy teenager.

Mike was terrified and doubtful himself when first picked for their A side.

He knew he had to gain weight, get stronger and practise.

So he did. A lot. Endless hours of training and thousands of balls later Mike was ready to step up and be counted.

The rest, as they say, is history. In this, his first ever book, Mike reveals how he made the transformation from talented teenager to sporting superhero, his remarkable passion for the game and exactly what makes him such a fierce, driven competitor.

Packed with jawdropping facts and figures and illustrated with colour and black and white photographs, Mr Cricket is the unputdownable story of Mike Hussey and the essential cricket companion for 2008.