Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Phillip Hughes: A summary of what was a promising career

November 27, 2014 13:33 IST

Here is a fact-box on Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes, who died on Thursday. He was 25.

Phil Hughes of Australia 'A' bats during the match between Australia 'A' and South Africa 'A' at Tony Ireland Stadium on August 9, 2014

Phil Hughes of Australia 'A' bats during the match between Australia 'A' and South Africa 'A' at Tony Ireland Stadium on August 9, 2014. Photograph: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Born on November 30 1988 in Macksville, New South Wales, Phillip Hughes grew up on a banana farm before moving to Sydney.

He Made his first-class debut for NSW in 2007 at 18 and became the youngest to score a century in the Sheffield Shield.

His exploits in domestic cricket earned him a Test cap in 2009.

He made his Test debut for Australia against South Africa in February 2009, scoring back-to-back centuries in his second match in Durban against the feared fast bowling of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

Phillip Hughes of Australia bats during day two of the Third Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka at Sydney Cricket Ground on January 4, 2013

Phillip Hughes of Australia bats during day two of the Third Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka at Sydney Cricket Ground on January 4, 2013. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

However, his unorthodox technique was exposed by England's fast bowling attack in the 2009 Ashes series and was dropped for the third Test.

Thereafter he came in and out of the Test squad, struggling to hold down a regular starting place.

He featured in Tests against Pakistan and New Zealand in early 2010 before being recalled for the following Ashes series as an injury replacement for Simon Katich but again struggled against the English bowling attack, scoring 97 runs in three Tests.

Phillip Hughes of Australia bats during game five of the Commonwealth Bank International Series between Australia and the West Indies at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 10, 2013

Phillip Hughes of Australia bats during game five of the Commonwealth Bank International Series between Australia and the West Indies at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 10, 2013. Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

He retained his spot in the Australian touring party for Sri Lanka and South Africa in 2011, but was dropped during the home series against New Zealand during the Australian 2011-12 summer after criticism of his playing style.

The southpaw had a stint in county cricket too. He went to England in 2012 and played county cricket with Worcestershire, and then had a strong start to the Sheffield Shield season and was rewarded with a spot in the test squad for Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in 2012-13.

He Scored 112 against Sri Lanka to become the first Australian batsman to score a century on his One-Day International debut, helping him retain a spot in the team for the tours of India and England later in 2013

He made his last Australian Test appearance in the 2013 second Ashes Test, in which he made one in both innings

Sean Abbott cradles Phillip Hughes's head after after the left-hander was struck in the head by an Abbott delivery.

Sean Abbott cradles Phillip Hughes's head after after the left-hander was struck in the head by an Abbott delivery. Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

In a unfortunate turn of fate, Hughes was felled by a bouncer playing for South Australia against NSW in a Sheffield Shield match on Tuesday at the SCG while on 63, as he pushed for a recall for the first Test against India in Brisbane next week.

Taken to hospital, he was placed in an induced coma because of the blow to the neck, which split an artery and caused a massive bleed to the brain.

He failed to regain consciousness and died at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney on Thursday, November 27 aged 25.

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.