Phillip Hughes (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Phillip Joel Hughes is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman who is widely considered to be one of the most promising prospects for Australia's future. He made his Test debut at the age of 20 after just two seasons with New South Wales
. He is currently opening the batting for Australia in test cricket.
, a small town on the north coast of New South Wales, to parents Greg and Virginia. The son of a banana farmer and an Italian mother, Hughes was also a talented rugby league player who once played alongside Australia
n rugby league
international Greg Inglis
. 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. At the age of 17, Hughes moved from Macksville to Sydney
to play for Western Suburbs District Cricket Club in Sydney Grade Cricket
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*. He represented Australia at the Under-19s World Cup in 2007. He was coached at Activate Cricket Centre in Mortlake.
, Hughes was handed a rookie contract by New South Wales
for the 2007–08 season. After scores of 51 and 137 for the New South Wales Second XI against Victoria's Second XI, 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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
He was signed by Middlesex
on a short-term contract, as cover for Murali Kartik
for the beginning of the 2009 English cricket season
. 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
. 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. He enjoyed strong success in England, scoring 574 runs in his three first-class matches, including three hundreds, at an average of 143.50. 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."
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."
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. 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. 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.
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.
Hughes hit his maiden Test hundred in the first innings of the second Test at the Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, Durban on 6 March 2009, bringing up his hundred with a four and consecutive sixes from a Paul Harris over. He added 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, and the youngest player from any country to score a century in both innings of a Test match.
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.
He has since been the first choice of cover batsman for the Australians. A call-up for the Boxing Day Test match to cover for Ricky Ponting came first, and then a break through at the New Year's Test. Hughes, at his home ground was chosen to replace Simon Katich, who suffered an elbow injury. In the first innings Hughes was dropped first ball, but failed to make use of the opportunity, getting out for a duck. In the second innings he was involved in a century opening stand with Shane Watson. Hughes made 37 before he was out to a brilliant catch from Danish Kaneria.
Hughes was called up to the Test squad for the tour of New Zealand in March 2010. An injury to Shane Watson meant he was included in the playing XI for the first Test. Hughes once again failed to make use of the opportunity in the first innings, giving Brent Arnel
his first Test wicket, making just 20. However in the second innings Hughes bolted out of the blocks to make 86 of just 75 balls, as Australia chased down the total of 105 with ten wickets to spare.
Later he was dropped from the 2010–2011 Ashes squad but was called up again as a replacement for Simon Katich who was nursing an Achilles injury which he sustained during the Ashes. Andrew Hilditch remarked on the eve of the fifth Ashes test match held at the SCG
:
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
. He is currently opening the batting for Australia in test cricket.
Early life and junior career
Hughes was born in MacksvilleMacksville, New South Wales
Macksville is a small town on the Nambucca River in Nambucca Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It is halfway between Sydney and Brisbane.-Town information:...
, a small town on the north coast of New South Wales, to parents Greg and Virginia. The son of a banana farmer and an Italian mother, Hughes was also a talented rugby league player who once played alongside Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
international Greg Inglis
Greg Inglis
Greg Inglis is an Australian professional rugby league player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative outside back, Inglis joined the Rabbitohs in 2011 after much controversy.Inglis is a versatile back, having played in several...
. 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. At the age of 17, Hughes moved from Macksville to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to play for Western Suburbs District Cricket Club in Sydney Grade Cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket is a cricket competition played in Sydney, Australia. The competition began in 1893 when a number of clubs, which had been playing for many years on an ad hoc basis, voted to create a formal competition structure....
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*. He represented Australia at the Under-19s World Cup in 2007. He was coached at Activate Cricket Centre in Mortlake.
First-class career
After scoring runs prolifically for New South Wales youth teams and Western Suburbs in Grade CricketSydney Grade Cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket is a cricket competition played in Sydney, Australia. The competition began in 1893 when a number of clubs, which had been playing for many years on an ad hoc basis, voted to create a formal competition structure....
, Hughes was handed a rookie contract by New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
for the 2007–08 season. After scores of 51 and 137 for the New South Wales Second XI against Victoria's Second XI, Hughes was rewarded with a call up by Blues selectors to make his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut. He played his first senior game against Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
on 20 November 2007 at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. At 18 years and 355 days, Hughes was the youngest New South Wales debutant since Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke (cricketer)
Michael John Clarke is an Australian cricketer. He was appointed captain of the Test and ODI teams on 30 March 2011. Nicknamed 'Pup', he is a right-handed batsman, and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler...
in 1999. 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.
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. The highlight of Hughes' excellent season came in New South Wales' Pura Cup
Pura Cup
The Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
final victory over Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
. 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. 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.
He was signed by Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
on a short-term contract, as cover for Murali Kartik
Murali Kartik
Murali Kartik is an Indian cricketer who sporadically represented the India national cricket team since 2000...
for the beginning of the 2009 English cricket season
2009 County Championship
The 2009 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the 110th County Championship season. It was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team played all the others in their division both home and away...
. He was available for first six weeks of the season, and played in three County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
matches, all eight of Middlesex's Friends Provident Trophy group matches and the first few matches in the Panthers' defence of the Twenty20 Cup
Twenty20 Cup
The Twenty20 Cup was a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs.In 2010, it has been replaced by Friends Provident t20 as the domestic Twenty20 competition.-History:...
. 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
2009 ICC World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament which took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugural event in South Africa in September 2007...
and the eventually-cancelled Stanford Super Series
Stanford Super Series
The Stanford Super Series were a series of Twenty20 cricket matches, sponsored by Sir Allen Stanford. The main game of the Series matched the English national cricket team against an all-star team from the Caribbean, called the Stanford Superstars....
. It has been noted that despite Hughes holding an Italian passport by virtue of his Italian mother, Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
resisted signing Hughes up as a Kolpak player and instead signed him as a foreign player. He enjoyed strong success in England, scoring 574 runs in his three first-class matches, including three hundreds, at an average of 143.50. 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."
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
Andrew Hilditch
Andrew Mark Jefferson Hilditch is a former Australian cricketer who played in 18 Tests and 8 ODIs from 1979 to 1985. He played for New South Wales from 1977 to 1981 and for South Australia from 1982 to 1992...
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."
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 VictoriaVictorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. While he was not originally scheduled to play the match, sickness to Australian opening batsman Phil Jaques
Phil Jaques
Philip Anthony Jaques is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman who has played first-class cricket for New South Wales, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire and Worcestershire, as well as international cricket for Australia...
handed him the spot. 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. 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
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
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
Dale Steyn
Dale Willem Steyn is a South African cricketer who plays in Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. He is currently the number one ranked Test bowler in the world and achieved the 900+ points benchmark on 13th Nov 2011. Steyn plays domestic cricket in South Africa for Cape Cobras...
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.
Hughes hit his maiden Test hundred in the first innings of the second Test at the Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, Durban on 6 March 2009, bringing up his hundred with a four and consecutive sixes from a Paul Harris over. He added 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
Doug Walters
Kevin Douglas Walters MBE in Dungog New South Wales, known as Doug Walters, is a former Australian cricketer. He was known as an attacking batsman, and also as a typical ocker.-First-class career:...
to score a Test century, and the youngest player from any country to score a century in both innings of a Test match.
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
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
Test in favour of Shane Watson
Shane Watson
Shane Robert Watson is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast medium bowler. He mainly bats as an opener in international cricket, although he does not do so domestically....
, who opened the batting in his place and provided the Australians with an extra bowling option.
He has since been the first choice of cover batsman for the Australians. A call-up for the Boxing Day Test match to cover for Ricky Ponting came first, and then a break through at the New Year's Test. Hughes, at his home ground was chosen to replace Simon Katich, who suffered an elbow injury. In the first innings Hughes was dropped first ball, but failed to make use of the opportunity, getting out for a duck. In the second innings he was involved in a century opening stand with Shane Watson. Hughes made 37 before he was out to a brilliant catch from Danish Kaneria.
Hughes was called up to the Test squad for the tour of New Zealand in March 2010. An injury to Shane Watson meant he was included in the playing XI for the first Test. Hughes once again failed to make use of the opportunity in the first innings, giving Brent Arnel
Brent Arnel
Brent John Arnel is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for the Northern Districts. A promising junior cricketer, Arnel plays club cricket in Hamilton with Fraser Tech. He made his first class debut for Northern Districts in 2006, playing against Canterbury...
his first Test wicket, making just 20. However in the second innings Hughes bolted out of the blocks to make 86 of just 75 balls, as Australia chased down the total of 105 with ten wickets to spare.
Later he was dropped from the 2010–2011 Ashes squad but was called up again as a replacement for Simon Katich who was nursing an Achilles injury which he sustained during the Ashes. Andrew Hilditch remarked on the eve of the fifth Ashes test match held at the SCG
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
:
"Phillip Hughes has already proved that he has the ability to score hundreds at the international level. He has great potential and the [selection panel] is very interested in him being a member of our team. While we are yet to see that big score this series, we have seen some good signs during the last two test matches, and we are really confident that he will be able to cement his position through a weight of runs going forward."
Awards
- New South WalesNew South Wales BluesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
Rising Star Award: 2007 - Bradman Young Cricketer of the YearAllan Border MedalThe Allan Border Medal is considered to be the biggest individual prize in Australian cricket. First awarded in 2000, the medal is named after former Australian captain Allan Border and recognises the most outstanding Australian cricketer of the past season as voted by his peers, the media and...
: 2009 - Sheffield Shield Player of the Year: 2008/09Sheffield Shield season 2008-09The 2008–09 Sheffield Shield season was the 116th season of official first-class domestic cricket in Australia. After nine seasons of being named the Pura Cup, it was announced that the Australian interstate trophy would return to its previous name of the Sheffield Shield as part of a new...
External links
- Player Profile: Phillip Hughes from the New South Wales Blues