Do not expect a voluntary exodus at the end of the Adelaide Test, at least not from Michael Hussey who hopes to continue playing well beyond the next tour to the West Indies.
Nor does he believe the batsmen outside the Test team have yet done enough to pinch his spot.
The likelihood that Shane Watson, when fit, will return to the middle order rather than open has renewed the focus on the futures of Hussey and former captain Ricky Ponting.
But neither has indicated he will call time on his international career after the final Test of the home summer, which in previous years has been a time to farewell great players.
''Not at all,'' Hussey said before tomorrow's Adelaide finale to the team's successful series against India.
''Throughout the whole summer I have just tried to set myself for this series but my body feels good, I still feel I'm playing well, and mentally I'm still keen to turn up to training and keen for the battle in the middle. From that point of view I am definitely thinking of continuing on. I'd love to go to the West Indies.''
Hussey, averaging 84.33 this series, is yet to set his goals beyond this summer but has found plenty of motivation to continue from the resurgent atmosphere in the Australian team.
''I basically tried to set all my energies towards this Indian series, that's what I really wanted to be a part of and part of a winning team, and probably reassess after that,'' he said. ''But certainly the Twenty20 World Cup [in Sri Lanka in September] there's a bit of a carrot dangling there, so I'd love to be a part of the World Cup again, and there's some big cricket still to come.
''I didn't perform as well as I'd have liked in the West Indies last time I toured there [in 2008] for a Test tour, so that's something I'd really like to go on and play well at. One-day cricket in England is always a fantastic tour to be a part of. But I just really want to be part of Australia's success, being part of helping Australia get back to being No1.
''I was lucky enough to come into the team when we were possibly the best team I've ever played for, to then go through some more turbulent and difficult times, and I'd love to be part of the team that can work our way back up, that'd be a fantastic international journey.''
David Warner, Ed Cowan and Shaun Marsh are all new to the batting order but the stalled progress of another potential Test batsman, Usman Khawaja, has muted the cries for further regeneration.
''The culture I was brought up in is that the next generation has to earn their right to play for Australia,'' Hussey said. ''It took me over 10 years of first-class cricket to just get one game so I don't feel the responsibility to pass the baton on.''

















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