Sport | Cricket
In-form Hughes buoys Aussies
Perfect timing is an essential commodity in cricket and the emergence of batsman Phillip Hughes could not have come at a better time for the Australians.
- Reuters
- Published: 22:54 July 5, 2009
Sydney: Perfect timing is an essential commodity in cricket and the emergence of batsman Phillip Hughes could not have come at a better time for the Australians.
The 20-year-old has taken the cricketing world by storm since making his Test debut in February and is suddenly lurking as one of Australia's trump cards in this year's Ashes series.
With Justin Langer then Matthew Hayden both retiring since the last Ashes series, Australia were desperate to find a new opener to partner Simon Katich and could not have imagined getting a better replacement than Hughes.
Like his predecessors, Hughes is a pugnacious left-hander brimming with self-confidence and possessing an enormous appetite for scoring runs.
That is to be expected from any Australian test batsman but what sets Hughes apart is his unorthodox batting style.
At first impression, he looks uncomfortable at the crease, stepping away from short-pitched deliveries and slashing the ball over backward point.
He employs little traditional footwork, relying instead on his eye, but his unconventional approach should not be mistaken for poor technique, an error opposition bowlers have often made.
No-one has been able to work him out yet. Hughes has scored a mountain of runs at every level he has played and has even earned comparisons with Don Bradman, the greatest batsman of all times. "With Bradman, it's definitely been flattering to hear that," Hughes told reporters in Australia.
"The rise to the top level has been very fast, obviously, for me. I'm 20 years of age and it's all happened like a bang."
Like many Australian cricketers, Hughes was raised in rural New South Wales. The Australian bush can be a harsh and often remote environment with limited opportunities for children.
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