Michael Hussey

At 34, Australian batsman Michael Hussey is well aware of his shelf life and wants to play all the three versions of cricket despite the relentless international programme taking a huge toll on his body.

As he prepares for his first Ashes series in England, the Australian wants to atone for a late start in international cricket. He made his one-day debut at the age of 29 in 2004 and next year got a call in the Test side.

"I want to try and play as much as I can. It took me so long to get one opportunity to play for Australia, so I would like to play as much as I possibly can because I know my shelf-life is a bit shorter than other guys who were able to start a bit younger," Hussey was quoted as saying by The Age.

At one point, Hussey wanted to give up one form of the game to lighten the pressure. But he admits that he was not the only senior in the Australian dressing room to do so.

"I just threw it up in my own mind and thought, 'Well, is it something that we should be looking at?' I think probably a few of the guys were just throwing it around, but for me personally I enjoy all forms of the game. I love Test cricket and I love one-day international cricket, but I've really enjoyed playing Twenty20 cricket as well, both for Australia and in the IPL. It's a difficult choice to make if you had to, but for me I didn't really want to make that choice," Hussey said.

After a dismal performance in the World Twenty20, Hussey said that Australia are well prepared for the Ashes.

"Everyone is going to be very keen to do well because I think we're all shooting for places in the first Test team. Probably other than the captain, vice-captain and a couple of other key players, I don't think anybody can rest on their laurels. For me personally I'm really keen to get a couple of big scores and get the confidence up high coming into that first Test," he said.