Daniel Brettig’s new book Whitewash to Whitewash examines the dark years between Australia’s 5-0 Ashes win in 2006-07 before their stunning resurgence to beat England 5-0 in 2013-14.

One of Australia’s sharpest cricket writers, Brettig watched all this unfold at close quarters. 

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This extract looks at the internal politics within Australia’s cricket team, and how a breakdown in communication led to a disjointed farewell party for Michael Hussey.

As a prelude to his announcement that it was time to go, Dovey was approached by one player’s partner. ‘We haven’t decided whether we’re going or not,’ she said.

‘Piece this together for me,’ said Dovey, a little nonplussed.

‘Mike’s not going.’

Dovey, his eyes widening, walked over to Hussey, placed an arm around the retiree and asked, ‘Are you ready to go?’

‘Nah, I’m not going.’

‘Mate, this is going to be a massive issue.’

‘No, you guys go. I just want everyone to have a good time. It’s not about me.’

‘Mate, people aren’t going to want to go without you.’

Dovey recognised what was about to happen next. His declaration of ‘let’s go’ caused the group to move towards the hotel’s front door, until the question rang out, ‘coming, Huss?’

‘I’m not going.’

Chaos ensued. The players declared en masse that they weren’t going anywhere either. Dovey, (coach Mickey) Arthur and others countered that they could not simply stand up Clarke, his wife and the boat.

Peter Siddle, who had turned teetotal after the previous summer, declared he would not go in any event. Lyon and Watson spoke similarly strong words. Hussey, realising the predicament, began to pitch for the players to go on the boat, saying how much they would enjoy it, and not to worry about him – even though it was his retirement night. Bizarrely, one of the most loved of Australian cricketers now found himself having terse words with his ‘band of brothers’, telling them they had to leave him be. After some coercion the team, minus Siddle and Watson, set off for the dock.

As often happens when a large group of revellers traverses Sydney’s streets at night, the group broke up into sets of twos and threes, players and partners alike. Some players pondered turning back but were dissuaded by the fact their partners were already about 300 metres ahead of them.

They met Clarke on the boat, and the hubbub among players and staff continued. James Sutherland was also on board. Clarke was upset that Hussey and the others were not there, and soon phone calls began, attempting to get Hussey onto the boat at a later time, demanding an explanation. Hussey took numerous calls of varying degrees of dismay but responded to each with similar words, telling the players to have a great time and that it was not about him. It was clear throughout that most of the players cared little for the boat and wanted to be with Hussey. Only after Dovey explained that Amy Hussey had been opposed to going on the boat from the moment children had been barred did the rancour settle slightly.

Lyon was still disheartened by Hussey’s absence, and numerous players spoke about the possibility of getting off the boat around midnight to return to Quay West. But, like so many well-intentioned suggestions made at the midpoint of a night out, it did not come to pass. Moreover, there were no navigators or helmsmen among the team. When midnight arrived, the boat had meandered over towards Manly, and a quick return was well out of reach. The drinks, the venue and the occasion all served to soften the earlier discord, but melancholy remained. ‘At the time we were devastated,’ says one player. ‘It was like someone had killed him straightaway, like he didn’t exist straightaway.’

The next morning, Hussey agreed to meet with Dovey, who was worried by some of the anger the episode had thrown up among the players. After the meeting, Hussey spoke with Siddle and Watson to reassure them that he had never planned to go on the boat and equally had never asked that the team stay with him. Siddle was content with this version of events, Watson less convinced. He reiterated his view that the team should never have left Hussey, who replied, ‘Mate, we can’t afford to have fractures in the team because of something stupid like this.’ All were left with a bitter taste from a night that should have been as sweet as Hussey’s cover drives.

Further irritation arose from an email sent around later in January that emanated from a Sydney financier who had overheard enough snatches of conversation in the SCG members’ bar to concoct a story in which some events were faithfully recounted but not others. It alleged that Clarke had forced the players onto the boat by turning the event into an official CA function and had then abused Hussey over the phone when he did not join the team. Hussey addressed the email in his autobiography, publishing it in full to illustrate ‘just how wrong it was’.

In isolation, the night was an unfortunate mess, born of poor communication, a diffident champion cricketer and his determined wife. But it also pointed to a wider malaise. If the team could not communicate effectively over a matter as straightforward as the retirement of Michael Hussey, what hope did they have in India?

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