Mike Hussey has admitted that the decision to retire from international cricket was one that he has considered for a considerable amount of time.

The 37-year-old batsman will bring his Australia career to a close at the end of January and claims that he does not feel the same excitement for the sport as he once had done.

Hussey told ESPNcricinfo: "I've known for a while that I probably wanted to finish at the end of the Australian summer.

"I just wanted to see how I felt throughout he summer and my feelings hadn't really changed. I was looking ahead to the India series and the Ashes and I didn't have the same excitement or buzz about the challenges ahead.

"So I knew I was making the right decision because I knew my heart wasn't 100% in spending that amount of time away from home and being excited about the challenges that are going to come forward. Not very many players get to leave on their own terms, so I'm very fortunate in that respect."

Hussey is expected to make a further announcement on his domestic career in the next couple of days.