The Ashes: Hussey the stuff of legend

Michael Hussey's innings of 116 left the third Ashes test heading for an early finish at Waca.

The remarkable Michael Hussey, who is averaging over 100 in this series, may have played a definitive role in taking the third test away from England and squaring the Ashes. Maybe.

The test is intriguingly poised and Hussey's scores so far are the stuff of Ashes legend - and this in a series where England has been clearly dominant.

Mitchell Johnson's heroics with the ball allowed Hussey the chance to produce the full flow of his undeniably efficient accumulation of runs.

His Ashes innings look like this: 195, did not bat, 93, 52, 61 and 116. Add that all up and Hussey has scored 517 runs against England at an average of 103.40. The English must be sick of him.

Yet Hussey is almost English in his approach, gathering his runs sweetly and busily but announces his Australian heritage with a strong but safe pull shot that he has employed to great profit throughout this series.

He takes few other risks, plays a smoking cover drive and has that almost mystical ability to guide the ball to places where the fielders are not; to all points of the field.

He reached his 13th test century with a beautiful pull for four off Chris Tremlett for a century made with painstaking care and precision - but still took only 135 balls (with 13 fours).

His innings helped take Australia to 309 - meaning England needed to score 391 in a little over two days to win the test.

Difficult, but not impossible, though late last night England lost the prized wickets of in-form opener Alastair Cook and captain Andrew Strauss with just 44 runs on the board.

Hussey's partners kept disappearing - Steve Smith battled well for 36 in a partnership of 75 - but Brad Haddin, Johnson, Ryan Harris and a stubborn Peter Siddle all went cheaply.

Even so, Hussey kept accumulating, working with the tailenders to keep the scoreboard busy without overly trying to protect them - before being last man out and giving Tremlett a five-wicket haul.

If Hussey has gone from strength to strength - he is seventh on the world's list of leading run scorers this year - Shane Watson has also had a successful season but must hate getting into the 90s.

It was a case of deja vu for the powerful 29-year-old when he was trapped leg before wicket by Tremlett for 95, the fourth time in 45 innings he has fallen in the 'nervous 90s'.

Watson, with a third test century beckoning, shook his head and immediately referred the decision upon seeing the umpire's raised finger, believing an inside edge had saved him.

The all-rounder had received luck before in the 90s, with his first test century last year against Pakistan only coming when he was dropped on 99.

But there was no reprieve this time. Watson had fooled himself, with what he hoped was an inside edge turning out to be bat on pad.

Dismayed after his appeal failed, Watson left the field shaking his head some more, part in disbelief at the decision and part in disbelief that once again he had fallen so close to three figures.

Watson had looked a picture of confidence up until that point, cracking 11 boundaries to move to 90.

It's not just in Perth where Watson has made an impact, scoring 293 runs at 58.6 this series. Since his last test century, 126 against India in October, Watson has had innings of 56, 57, 32, 36, 41 not out, 51, 57, 13 and now 95.

But if his run-making is tinged with frustration at not converting those starts into more centuries, his combination with Hussey, a 113-run stand, at least swung this match well and truly Australia's way.

England's slim chances of taking a stranglehold on the Ashes by winning this test are not without historical precedent on the Waca ground - but Hussey and Watson moved those chances into the "unlikely" file yesterday.

Chasing down even a sizeable target in the fourth innings at the Waca is achievable - although the current England side may take some comfort from their last attempt in Perth (set 557 to win, they were all out for 350 but 557 is not 391 although it may seem like it with Cook and Strauss gone).

A sizeable target on the Waca's bouncy surface usually means anything over 300 but, on that pitch in 2008, Graeme Smith's South African team scored 414 in the fourth innings for a six-wicket victory, the second-highest chase in history.

There have been six fourth innings scores of over 287 in the past 10 years - but Watson's 95 and Hussey's classy century may have taken this match away from all but a miracle finish by England.

But, in this Ashes series, don't take anything for granted.

Australia 268 & 309
England 187 & 81/5