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Phillip Hughes

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 180.216.12.253 (talk) at 14:09, 28 December 2011 (I've changed the opinion to a fact, mate; Hughes will become Bradman; stop belittling him). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Phillip Hughes
Personal information
Full name
Phillip Joel Hughes
NicknameHughesy, Little Man Tate
Height1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
BattingLeft-hand bat
BowlingRight-arm off-break
RoleOpener
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 408)26 February 2009 v South Africa
Last Test17 November 2011 v South Africa
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2012–Worcestershire
2011–presentSydney Thunder
2010Hampshire (squad no. 29)
2009Middlesex
2007–presentNew South Wales (squad no. 22)
Career statistics
Competition Test FC LA T20
Matches 17 66 45 17
Runs scored 1,072 5,476 1,567 527
Batting average 34.58 48.03 39.17 37.64
100s/50s 3/3 17/28 2/10 0/4
Top score 160 198 138 83
Balls bowled 0 18 0 0
Wickets 0
Bowling average
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 0/3
Catches/stumpings 7/– 41/– 15/– 10/–
Source: Cricinfo, 16 December 2011

Phillip Joel Hughes (born 30 November 1988) is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman who has one of the best first class batting records in Australia cricket for a player under 30. He made his Test debut at the age of 20 after just two seasons with New South Wales.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Early life and junior career

Hughes was born in Macksville, a small town on the north coast of New South Wales, to parents Greg and Virginia.[10] The son of a banana farmer and an Italian mother, Hughes was also a talented rugby league player who once played alongside Australian rugby league international Greg Inglis.[1] He played his junior cricket for Macksville R.S.L Cricket Club, where he excelled so quickly that he was playing A-Grade at the age of 12.[10] At the age of 17, Hughes moved from Macksville to Sydney to play for Western Suburbs District Cricket Club in Sydney Grade Cricket[3] while he attended Homebush Boys High. He scored 141* on his grade debut and enjoyed a solid 2006–07 season scoring 752 runs at an average of 35.81 with a highest score of 142*.[11] He represented Australia at the Under-19s World Cup in 2007.[12] He was coached at Activate Cricket Centre in Mortlake.[13]

First-class career

After scoring runs prolifically for New South Wales youth teams and Western Suburbs in Grade Cricket, Hughes was handed a rookie contract by New South Wales for the 2007–08 season.[14] After scores of 51 and 137 for the New South Wales Second XI against Victoria's Second XI,[15] Hughes was rewarded with a call up by Blues selectors to make his first-class debut. He played his first senior game against Tasmania on 20 November 2007 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. At 18 years and 355 days, Hughes was the youngest New South Wales debutant since Michael Clarke in 1999.[16] In a comfortable victory for New South Wales, Hughes opened the batting and got his career off to a solid start, scoring a fluent 51 and taking 2 catches.[17]

Hughes had an outstanding debut season for New South Wales, playing 7 matches and scoring 559 runs at an average of 62.11 with 1 century and 6 fifties.[18] The highlight of Hughes' excellent season came in New South Wales' Pura Cup final victory over Victoria. He scored 116 off 175 balls in the Blues' second innings to help put his team in a commanding position. At 19 years of age, this innings made him the youngest ever player to score a century in a Pura Cup final.[19] Hughes was rewarded for his achievements by winning the New South Wales Rising Star Award and earning an upgrade to a full state contract for the 2008–09 season.[20][21]

He was signed by Middlesex on a short-term contract, as cover for Murali Kartik for the beginning of the 2009 English cricket season.[22][23] He was available for first six weeks of the season, and played in three County Championship matches, all eight of Middlesex's Friends Provident Trophy group matches and the first few matches in the Panthers' defence of the Twenty20 Cup.[24] In most other years, a contract for the opening six weeks of the season would involve playing 4–6 Championship matches, some but not all FPT matches and no Twenty20, but the scheduling for 2009 has to accommodate ICC World Twenty20 and the eventually-cancelled Stanford Super Series. It has been noted that despite Hughes holding an Italian passport by virtue of his Italian mother, Middlesex resisted signing Hughes up as a Kolpak player and instead signed him as a foreign player.[25] He enjoyed strong success in England, scoring 574 runs in his three first-class matches, including three hundreds, at an average of 143.50.[26] Of his time at Middlesex, he commented "I thoroughly enjoyed it and the preparation has been great. The big thing that came out of it was that I played at three Test grounds I'm going to be playing on and got to experience them before this big series coming up. Lord's was my home ground there for Middlesex and I played at The Oval as well and Edgbaston. It couldn't have really worked out any better. The big thing was just going over there to experience the whole different culture really, the weather, the wickets and the bowlers as well."[27]

Hughes hit back to back hundreds at the end of the 2010/11 season to earn Hilditch's praise. In his last two first class matches for NSW in the 2010/11 season he scored 54,115,138, and 93. Australia chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch stated "I was thrilled for Phil, I think he turned the corner the last game. I spent a bit of time with him before the last Shield game and he seemed to be in a really good place. Having had a tough season, to emerge like he has is a credit to him."[28]

List A career

Less than a week after his debut in first-class cricket, on 28 November 2007, Hughes made his List A debut against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. While he was not originally scheduled to play the match, sickness to Australian opening batsman Phil Jaques handed him the spot.[29] Just as he did in his first-class debut, Hughes passed 50 but was eventually dismissed for 68, top scoring for New South Wales in a "controlled" display.[30] After New South Wales' wicket-keeper Brad Haddin was struck in the head by a top edge, Hughes took on the 'keeping duties for nine overs. On 17 May 2009, Hughes made his first limited overs century, scoring 119 for Middlesex against Warwickshire.

Australian Test career

Ducking to a short ball that, according to critics, caused him problems in England.

After consistently making runs at domestic level, Hughes was called up to replace Matthew Hayden on Australia's tour of South Africa in February and March 2009. He was selected to make his debut in the first Test match starting on 26 February 2009 at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg after making 53, then retiring, in Australia's tour match against the South African Board President's XI. He was dismissed for a duck in his first Test innings by Dale Steyn off just the fourth ball of the match, however he went on to top-score with 75 in the second innings, including 11 fours and a six.[31]

Hughes hit his maiden Test hundred in the first innings of the second Test at the Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, Durban on 6 March 2009, before adding another hundred in the second Innings. In doing so, Hughes, at the age of 20 years and 96 days, became both the youngest Australian since Doug Walters to score a Test century,[32] and the youngest player from any country to score a century in both innings of a Test match.[33]

Hughes takes a catch at training.

During the 2009 Ashes campaign, Hughes' unorthodox technique was exploited by fast bowlers, who targeted his upper body, and avoided bowling wide outside off stump, restricting his opportunities to play shots through the offside, most notably the cut shot. He was dropped from the team, for the third Edgbaston Test in favour of Shane Watson, who opened the batting in his place and provided the Australians with an extra bowling option.[34][35]

He was a fringe player for the next year or so, playing some Tests to cover other injured batsmen. He played two home Tests against Pakistan in this capacity, covering the injured Ricky Ponting in the Boxing Day Test, then Simon Katich in the New Year's Test. He was then called up to the Test squad for the tour of New Zealand in March 2010 to replace Shane Watson in the first Test; he scored a rapid 86 from 75 balls in a small fourth-innings run chase in this Test.

Hughes was dropped from the 2010–2011 Ashes squad, but was called up for the Third Test as a replacement for the injured Simon Katich. He was a regular in the Australian team for the following year, playing in the last three Ashes tests, tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa, and then a home series against New Zealand, but his spot came under pressure due to his inconsistency during that time. He scored two big scores (126 in Colombo and 88 in Johannesburg), but his next-highest score was only 36,[36] and he consistently fell to catches at slip and gully. He was heavily criticised for his performance in the two-test series against New Zealand, in which he managed only 41 runs at 10.25, and was dismissed exactly the same way in all four innings: caught at slip by Martin Guptill from the bowling of Chris Martin.[37] He was dropped from the Australian team following the series.[38]

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b Boofa goes from bushie to Blue Fox Sports News (22 November 2007). Retrieved 4 December 2007
  2. ^ Border measures NSW star Hughes for his baggy green The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 March 2008
  3. ^ a b Katich predicts big career for Hughes Fox Sports News. Retrieved 25 March 2008
  4. ^ http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/cricket/former-test-opener-matthew-hayden-believes-phil-hughes-can-make-the-grade/story-e6frepmo-1226214453867
  5. ^ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/cricket/former-test-opener-justin-langer-says-stick-with-phil-hughes/story-e6frfg8o-1226195978019
  6. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/dec/08/ricky-ponting-ashes-hughes-katich
  7. ^ http://newshopper.sulekha.com/hughes-success-should-change-selectors-mindset-bill-lawry_news_1045537.htm
  8. ^ http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-new-zealand-2011/content/story/544165.html
  9. ^ http://www.cricket.com.au/news-list/2011/12/6/clarke-backs-hughes
  10. ^ a b Victoria warned to beware the Macksville Express The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 March 2008
  11. ^ Western Suburbs District Cricket Club - Phillip Hughes Cricket New South Wales. Retrieved 25 March 2008
  12. ^ Phillip Hughes Profile Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  13. ^ Congratulations Phillip Hughes! Activate Cricket Centre. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  14. ^ Blues Sign Katich for Five Years Cricinfo (7 June 2007). Retrieved 6 November 2007.
  15. ^ New South Wales 2nd XI vs Victoria 2nd XI at Hurstville Scorecard Cricinfo (15 November 2007). Retrieved 16 November 2007
  16. ^ Young gun makes Blues debut Fox Sports News (15 November 2007). Retrieved 16 November 2007
  17. ^ New South Wales v Tasmania Scorecard Cricinfo (23 November 2007). Retrieved 23 November 2007.
  18. ^ Pura Cup, 2007/08 - Most Runs Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 May 2008
  19. ^ Hughes and Katich put Blues on top Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 May 2008
  20. ^ a b Katich earns more glory Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 April 2008
  21. ^ Blues boost batting bank Cricinfo (2008-30-04). Retrieved 6 May 2008
  22. ^ Middlesex County Cricket Club Official Website, Latest Results, MCCC News & Merchandise UK Middlesex CCC (13 February 2009). Retrieved 6 March 2009
  23. ^ Middlesex sign Australian opener Cricinfo (13 February 2009). Retrieved 6 March 2009
  24. ^ Cricinfo - Middlesex - 2009 fixtures Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 March 2009
  25. ^ Brown, Alex (13 March 2009). "'Signing Hughes won't damage Ashes chances' - Fraser". Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 March 2009. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  26. ^ "Records / First-class matches / Season 2009 in England". CricInfo. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  27. ^ "Middlesex experience invaluable for Hughes". CricInfo. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  28. ^ Coverdale, Brydon (18 March 2011). "Phillip Hughes earns Andrew Hilditch praise". ESPN CricInfo. Retrieved 21 March 2011..
  29. ^ Pain-free Tait aims high Cricinfo (28 November 2007). Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  30. ^ Quiney belts Blues into submission Cricinfo (28 November 2007). Retrieved 29 November 2007
  31. ^ CricInfo Test #1910
  32. ^ Hughes carves his name in Australia's history
  33. ^ Historic tons for Hughes
  34. ^ Alex Brown (30 July 2009). Hughes confirms axing on Twitter. Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  35. ^ Alex Brown (30 July 2009). The Watson gamble pays off. Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  36. ^ "PJ Hughes, All-Round Analysis". Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  37. ^ Coverdale, Brydon (12 December 2011). "Martin and Guptill clean sweep Hughes". Cricinfo. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  38. ^ Earle, Richard (14 December 2011). "Phillip Hughes skips Big Bash to work on technique". Herald Sun. Retrieved 14 December 2011.

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