Career Sheffield Shield Batting Record of Current Players

Sep 21, 2002
52,638
46,330
Adelaide
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Norwood
Phillip Hughes ended up with with 4728 runs from his 52 matches at an average of 53.12. 15 centuries with a highest score of 204.

One of an elite group of 28 players with a career average of 50 having played at least 50 matches.

Like everyone else, I was always aware of Hughes' propensity for runs, but since various sources have been speaking of his batting record, it's even more impressive than I imagined. Okay, he had some flaws in his technique, but there's not many players who haven't. Seems a little strange the Test selectors didn't show a little more faith in him.
 
Jan 26, 2006
40,446
31,699
Perth
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
East Fremantle
Like everyone else, I was always aware of Hughes' propensity for runs, but since various sources have been speaking of his batting record, it's even more impressive than I imagined. Okay, he had some flaws in his technique, but there's not many players who haven't. Seems a little strange the Test selectors didn't show a little more faith in him.

At the same age only three Australian batsman had more first class centuries - Don Bradman, Greg Chappell and Ricky Ponting
 
Apr 7, 2010
28,237
10,715
La Capanna Restaurant.
AFL Club
Essendon
He had a tendency to be part of a losing team. Australia lost 12 of the 26 matches he was a part of. That's extraordinary high for a modern Australian team. (Smith, somewhat obviously, has a similar ratio for now). His performances in those matches were poor (average of 19), but I think you'd be hard pressed to argue Hughes' presence made them a worse team, as opposed to Hughes simply failing and the team happening to lose. (surprise surprise, the performances from most of the rest arent crash hot either. Warner's basically Bradmanesque) I made a post a month ago essentially along the lines of Hughes was unlucky in that he often failed in matches Australia lost, so he got dropped so Australia could look like they were taking action. He got dropped based on 3, 4, 5 bad innings and a losing team a lot (09 ashes, 13 ashes, following the NZ loss, almost halfway though India). One might say ph boo hoo you need to perform, tough luck, and yeah he did look awful some of those times, but he was very unlucky imo. Australia squeeze out a win or two in some of those matches and Hughes mightn't get dropped. Remember, Smith and Hughes followed similar paths in the 13 Ashes. Good knock, 3 bad innings. Australia two loses. Hughes got dropped. Smith didn't. (Of course, Hughes never should have been dropped.....)

Following his 13 Ashes dropping, I calculated that Hughes and Ponting had remarkably similar records at the age. Hughes would have been 24 and a half at that point, and I worked out that Ponting at 24 and a half had also played 20 odd matches, had also a mid 30s average and also had 3 tons. I'm surprised nobody has really noticed that. It'd be worth including in your article if you had noticed. Ponting exploded in the second half of his 24th year. A big series in SL and two tons in the home summer. He also made 3 ducks in a row in the home summer. Australia won those matches and he didn't get dropped...
 
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