This brotherly feeling is universal. No matter which part of the world you belong, no matter which profession you are in and no matter which period of the century you live in. These brotherly stories tend to interest almost of all of us. Good, bad or ugly, these stories gather a super interest.  In India, we still get teary eyed when we share how Laxman went out of his way to be with Ram in his wilderness. The Germans still shade a tear or a grump or two when they tell us the story of how two brothers and shoe manufacturers went separate ways and emerged giants (read- Puma and Adidas). And the stories of family feud still generate a huge interest amongst masses. But well, this article will share few good stories of few good siblings that are currently playing cricket. This is not the first nor is it going to be the last article that tell us about these pairs of brothers. But yes, it is first one of this kind from me. And I thought I will share it with you.

The cricketing world has seen a truckload of siblings playing cricket together. The Chappells, the Waughs, the Hadlees, the Flowers are few of those many siblings to have played the game. Well, that tradition continues even today. We have the Morkels, the Husseys, the O’Briens, the Bravos and few others are gracing the field these days. This is the attempt to highlight some of them.

To start the piece and to set up the pace we have the sprinters in the cricket field, the Husseys, will open the account. O’Briens from Ireland will follow them. Then, the McCullums from NZ will take the stage. Morkels will continue the pressure with their bat swing and the swinging ball. The Bravos will jump in a la Caribbean style to take the sixth spot and then we have the Pathans from India to wrap the story. Due to his indifferent form Yusuf Pathan missed out being a part of ICC World T20 Championship. Else, that would have been a perfect team with 11 men and a substitute.

Husseys (Australia)

They bat, they bowl; slow medium and rapid spin respectively and they field brilliantly irrespective of the fielding positions. The passion towards the game and willingness to shine at every opportunity given and grabbed, are the few traits that stand out when these Hussey brothers take the field.

Michael Hussey

There are not many innings when Michael Hussey had not dirtied his shirt or trousers. May be, he is the reason why Australian team’s laundry bills shoot up every time. Jokes apart, he is one of those players who believe in giving his 100% (one can’t give more than that). He has made his ODI debut at the age of 28 and test debut at the age of 30 on a solid background of more than 15,000 first class runs. Now, those are monumental amount of runs. It is a general assumption that there exists a whole lot of difference between the club cricket and at the international cricket. But it seems Hussey has continued his run scoring form at the international cricket too. 9 years post his debut, nothing much has changed. From an absolute late entrant to the world of cricket to Mr.Cricket, Michael Hussey has come a long way. Well done, Huss!

David Hussey

The younger Hussey of the household, David Hussey. If Michael has made his debut at the age of 28 then David has bettered it. He made it to the Australian side at the age of 31. Is this just a co-incidence or a family tradition! From being on the fringes for too long, David has finally found his role in the ODI squad for Australia. He bats in the middle order, bowls those rapid spins of his and yes, just like a family tradition jumps across the outfield to pluck catches and to make super saves. Now this is one solid brotherly partnership.

O’Briens (Ireland)

Cricket is in genes of O’Briens. Kevin’s and Niall’s father, Brendan had played cricket for Ireland for 15 long years. His boys seem to be taking the legacy forward.

Niall O’Brien

He is the elder of the O’Brien brothers. Niall bats left handed and keeps wickets for Ireland. Although his flamboyant brother remains in the limelight most of the times, it will be foolish to ignore what Niall brings to the Ireland cricket. Niall, the batsman belongs to the old school of batting. He loves to grind out the opposition. He does not mind ‘leaving alone few deliveries’ as a set up towards an acknowledged good knock. Nicknamed as Paddy because of his ever so continuous love affair with the cricket pads, Niall has been a silent and understated hero of Ireland cricket.

Kevin O’Brien

He is tall, solidly built and he loves to bat. Kevin O’Brien is always regarded as one of the batsman to watch out for from Ireland. For a brief period, Eoin Morgan thought to accompany him at Ireland. However, the allure to represent England and play more international cricket was too strong to ignore for Morgan. Kevin’s shot to fame was his blitzkrieg against England during World Cup 2011. He came to bat when Ireland had thrown in the towels and then what a turnaround. Kevin smashed the England bowling- left, right and centre and went on to score fastest hundred in the history of World Cups.

One heartening aspect that had won hearts across Ireland is his continuous reluctance to adorn England’s colours. Well, as everyone knows there is no love lost between England and Ireland. The history vouches for it.

McCullums (New Zealand)

This is getting intriguing now. Even McCullums belong to the category of players who were born with cricketing background present strongly at home.

Nathan McCullum

Elder in age but he made his debut for New Zealand a lot later than his younger brother Brendon. Nathan for quite some time drooled over the idea to pick up football as a professional sport. That idea if actualised would have been a direct outcome of his passion. However, he chose cricket. One thing that strikes out about Nathan is his awareness about what he can do. The decision to turn to off spin is one of them. His batting skills at the lower middle order is a bonus.

Brendon McCullum

There is this something distinctly similar with the tattoos he has and the way he plays. Both leave a lasting impression. Bredon McCullum rose from a spunky young man to one of game’s respected fellows. This journey towards the top is largely dominated by the velocity of the bat swing. To describe him as an attacking batsman will be an understatement. Add to it, his brilliant glovework. I still remember how brilliantly he anticipated Dravid’s sweep and made an early move towards leg slip to grab the catch.

Morkels (South Africa)

Albie Morkel

He is the official batting half of the Morkel household. Since the time immemorial, Albie has been in love with tonging the ball outside the boundary ropes. And now he is just extending that six loving streak with the teams he plays- internationally or at the clubs. Albie and Morne have something very similar to Waugh brothers or Ganguly brothers- one brother had made his debut replacing the other. For the records, Albie has made his debut replacing Morne for the Capetown test against the Australians in the year 2009.

Morne Morkel

Tall, lean and mean, Morne Morkel is well known for his ability to extract bounce from any kind of pitches across the world. Now that’s a trait every bowler dreams to have. Unlike his SA bowling partner, Morne hardly sledges. Infact, he prefers to keep it simple and does not like to show his angry side too often. He, according to me, belongs to Walsh’s school of fast bowling; a school where, more than the mouth, the ball is used to make all the talking. His ability to draw bounce on any pitch across the world is something that many bowlers dream about. 

Bravos (West Indies)

First thing first, there is no false Brava do about these Bravo brothers. They possess the ability where they can back their flamboyance with their performances on the field.

Dwayne Bravo

He has been brilliant since the day one. Just like his dance jig, he is brilliant and entertaining with bat and ball. Add to it, his spectacular acrobatic ability to pull of scorchers on the field. His is the case where the natural flair from Caribbean has married with envious cricketing ability. His typically Caribbean flicks and cover drives (where head swings more than the bat) is a site to behold. He is an artist. Hence, the cricket field is a stage and like a performer he presents a show that will make your jaw drop.

Darren Bravo

A lot has been talked about his resemblance with Lara and a lot will. Darren Bravo first made it to the news when Lara openly said that Darren is the player for the future. The left hander from T & T has class and elegance written all over him. Although the recent times have not been good, he has made a strong case for himself post this year’s tour of India. 

Pathans (India)

The boys who lived next door to the God.

Irfan Pathan

The boy next door who swung in his way to the Indian team. Everyone still fondly remembers how the curly little chap had made a big impression in his first outing and that too in the foreign land of Australia. Currently, whole India is confused who he really is- bowler, batsman, a bowler who can bat, a batsman who can bowl and what not? However, it does not take away the fact that the boy next door has the ability. One more thing and I feel that shall run off on everyone, his ability to give his 100% every time.

Yusuf Pathan

He is the quintessential big brother of the Pathan household. His presence on the field is intimidating. The tall and muscular guy has made it to the Indian squad with his ability to dismantle the opposition’s bowling with his powerful blows. When on song, Yusuf Pathan has the knack to win the matches with hardly any help from the other end. There is no surprise why the legendary Shane Warne rates this guy so high. His knock against New Zealand in 2010 stands as a perfect testimony for the same. His recent endeavours though have not been so successful. And that’s something this ever so hard working guy from Baroda will like to improve on.

So, this wraps it up for us. The story of brothers in arms who may well turn out to be the brothers of destruction for the opposition. You can surely come up with your list of brothers and let us know why you like them.