T20 World Cup 2022: "I hope he doesn’t get a big score against England on Thursday" - Michael Hussey on Suryakumar Yadav

England's assistant coach Michael Hussey hopes for Suryakumar Yadav to fail against them in the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup on Thursday (November 10) in Adelaide. However, Hussey revealed that he loves watching Suryakumar bat and expects a sensational contest against India.

Suryakumar, who made his international debut in March 2021, has been in sensational touch over the past few months. He has carried his form in the ongoing tournament and has made the most of his opportunities, scoring 225 runs in five matches at an average of 75 with a strike rate of 193.48.

Speaking to Sportstar, the former Aussie great hailed the right-handed batter for translating his IPL form into international cricket, but hopes he doesn't fire on Thursday. Hussey conceded that England must play the perfect game to beat India and expects a cracking contest for a place in the final.

He said:

"He’s been sensational and has been doing it for a number of years in the IPL. And now to do it consistently at the highest level, it’s great to watch. Personally, love watching him bat. Obviously, I hope he doesn’t get a big score against England on Thursday (laughs). But India are a fantastic team, and we knew that coming into the tournament."

"We have to be very close to our best to really challenge them and win the match. It’s going to be a great spectacle -- two fantastic teams and they’ll both be going as hard as they possibly can. It’s the World Cup semifinal, and that prize to make it to the final at the MCG is pretty motivating."

Hussey also hailed the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ben Stokes for standing up during pressure games. He recalled Kohli for steering India over the line against Pakistan and Stokes doing it in the last match. Reflecting on Rohit's lean run, he continued:

"You’ve Rohit Sharma, you’ve Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes. They seem to perform when the team needs it most. It’s a special quality that these players have. And we have certainly seen that with Virat for a number of years. We’ve seen it with Rohit Sharma over the years as well. And we’ve seen it with Ben Stokes.

"It’s almost like they crave the real pressure situations or it’s just that they just crave those big moments in games and they thrive on that."

He added:

"We saw with Ben Stokes the other night against Sri Lanka. The team was in a bit of trouble and he sort of coolly worked his way through. We saw Kohli’s innings against Pakistan at the start of the tournament. That was unbelievable to watch. And for Rohit, you’re always waiting for the time that he’s going to play that sort of special innings as well. Let’s hope, it’s not on Thursday, but we know how good he is (laughs)."

Kohli, who has struggled for form, has rediscovered his touch and is currently the highest run-getter in the tournament. He has accumulated 246 runs in five matches at an average of 123 with three fifties.

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"England has been a very good team to work with" - Michael Hussey

Michael Hussey and Michael Mott. (Credits: Getty)

The Western Australian said he is relishing the experience of working with England and steering them through the challenges along the way. Hussey added:

"It’s been a really enjoyable tournament so far. England has been a very good team to work with. I really enjoyed the experience. It’s been a tough tournament, there’s been challenges along the way, due to weather and tough conditions and obviously tough teams. All the teams have been tough, especially in our group."

"It has been challenging from that point of view and I know that the team is really excited about getting through to the semifinals. Wow, what an occasion it will be to be able to play India at the Adelaide oval on Thursday! It will be a sensational occasion."

England and India have faced each other thrice in the T20 World Cups, with the latter winning two out of those.