Mike Hussey holds no records for runs scored, centuries made, matches played, catches held or anything else in cricket.
He has never captained his national team.
Yet when he walked out to bat in his final Test, his Sri Lankan opponents formed a guard of honour to applaud him on to the SCG.
It was a rare mark of respect, reminiscent of the tribute Graeme Smith’s South Africans afforded Ricky Ponting in his final Test in Perth earlier this summer.
But Ponting was a former Australia captain. He had set all manner of records. He was rated Australia’s best batsman since Bradman. He had been destined for greatness since he was a teenager.
Hussey, by contrast, was the player Test cricket almost forgot. He was 30 years old before he played his first match.
Yet such was his passion for the sport, so meticulous his preparation and so successful his belated endeavours that the game ended up giving him its own name.
Mr Cricket has never been one to seek the limelight.
He might well have been embarrassed by all the attention at the SCG on Friday and surprised by Sri Lanka’s touching gesture.
But he would not have been immune from it. If it was good enough for Bradman to have a lump in his throat in England in 1948, it would have been good enough for Hussey in Sydney 64 years later.
Hussey is nothing if not the ultimate pro.
He shook the hand of Sri Lanka captain Mahele Jayawardene, took block and got on with the job of his last Test appearance.
Sri Lanka’s tribute was a measure of the respect Hussey enjoys – in all dressing rooms and grandstands.
The Sydney crowd gave him A huge cheer, matched only by the enthusiasm that greeted his two overs with the ball the previous day.
After looking full of promise, Hussey’s innings on Friday ended in grievous anti-climax when he was run out for 25 by a direct hit while attempting a sharp single, his despairing dive falling centimetres short.
But no matter what happens in the rest of this match, he will finish with a career average exceeding 50 from his seven years as a Test batsman, having produced over 6,100 runs and 19 centuries.
One of the greats in a numbers-obsessed game, the stats provide some measure of Hussey’s standing.
The guard of honour said it all.