Before the home Ashes series in 2010, I was a bit worried I had finished off my brother Mike's Test career.

Victoria played Western Australia in the last Sheffield Shield game before the Ashes, and in the first innings, Mike got a nick off Andrew McDonald, and I caught it. We didn't celebrate because we thought that was a nail in the coffin for him.

Black day … Mike Hussey after making a duck against Victoria in 2010. Credit:Getty Images

I drove out of the car park at the MCG that night, and he was walking home to the hotel. I said, ''Jump in, I'll drive you.'' But he wanted to be by himself. I thought, ''This is not good, he's gone.'' I called him on the way home, and we just talked about family but he was pretty down. I said to him, ''What are you doing with your batting? You're a bloody good player, why don't you just believe in yourself? You don't even look like you're hitting the ball. Go out in the second innings and just smash us everywhere, will you?'' Sure enough, he got a hundred off about 60 balls and, sadly, Victoria lost the game because of it.

That story says a lot about Mike, and about the stubborn streak in both of us. Everybody wanted his head. Andrew Hilditch was chairman of selectors, and he and Greg Chappell wanted him out, wanted some new blood in the team. Mike claims he doesn't read the newspapers but I know for a fact he does, and I reckon it really got to him. He thought, ''Right, these buggers want me out, what I am I going to do about it?'' He showed everyone he could still play at the highest level, and now he's decided to retire on top of his game.