Williamstown import Mosun Hussain is not afraid of a little bit of pressure.
It is what drives the Englishman each time he steps to the crease.
There will be no bigger moment in his summer than when the opening batsman takes guard on Saturday against arch-rivals Altona at Grant Reserve. It will be a season-defining day in his club’s sub-district season.
The Seagulls, at 0-8, need to reach 212 or they are dust when it comes to this season’s finals.
Hussain is just a kid in senior cricket, at 18, but don’t let his age fool you. The boy from Leeds is one of the Seagulls’ leading batsmen, with 263 runs at 37.6 being the best average on the team.
He expects to play a leading role each time he steps out onto the field.
“That’s my job, scoring runs for the team and making those match-winning performances,” he told Star Weekly. “Having a presence at the crease, staying on top of the bowlers, hitting nice and straight, making sure that I’m there to stay and making it hard for the bowlers to get me out.”
Hussain took a while to adapt to Melbourne, realising the pitches are not as bouncy as he thought. His first three knocks were scores of four, eight and one.
Then he turned on the style to blast 114 against Melton, 92 not-out a game later against Ormond and 40 after Christmas against Elsternwick.
If Hussain is back in that frame of mind, watch out Altona. He would love nothing more than to produce another big score, but his approach will not change.
“I’m not putting too much pressure on myself, but I’ll keep backing myself, knowing my strengths and sticking to them,” Hussain said. “I play my best when I’m enjoying my cricket, and that’s what I plan to do.”
Hussain is a developing player in the Yorkshire county cricket system. His talent was obvious from a young age and he featured in England’s under-19s.
Hussain looks at Yorkshire’s full England internationals Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance for inspiration.
“These players have gone on to play with England because they’ve performed at county level,” Hussain said. “That’s who I look up to and what I want to achieve in the future.
“If I keep putting in the hard work and keep doing what I’m doing and staying dedicated, hopefully it will come to some success.”
Hussain feels indebted to Williamstown for accepting him into their club and to the Roccos, his host family, for making him “feel part of the family”.
“Coming to a different country and a family letting me in like they have and making me feel welcome, it’s something that, hopefully in the future, I can pay back for them because they’ve been brilliant to me,” Hussain said.
Once his time in the Seagulls nest is up, Hussain embarks on a massive season with Yorkshire, where he will get to see how much his game has improved by playing abroad.
“That’s why I came here, to learn a lot.”
