Why Hughes?

[Subprime]

He isn't going to stick around long if he continues trying to flick straight balls through the onside in the second over.

Then again when you're out of form these things happen.

 

[mediumsizered]

His technique is still badly flawed. In what I have seen of him so far this season his technique hasn't improved all that much. Test standard bowlers will continue to exploit this weakness until he tightens his technique.

Hayden made a ton of runs early on in his first class career, but initially struggled at international level because the quality bowlers bowled to his weakness. He was banished back to Shield cricket & he eventually worked on his technique (his footwork used to be very heavy, almost seeming lazy, in the early part of his career).

Hughes needs more time to work on his technique before he is truly ready for Test cricket (I was surprised to see him get bowled today. I would have put money on him getting caught in the slips cordon). The Poms will enjoy bowling to Hughes for the rest of this series & as a result Australia are going to be one (maybe two if Ponting keeps failing) for very little at the start of each innings.

 

[Cousin Jed]

Problem is, the state of opening batsmen in Shield cricket is appalingly low.

If not Hughes, who?

 

[The Passenger]

Problem is, the state of opening batsmen in Shield cricket is appalingly low.

If not Hughes, who?

i would've been happier if they picked Khawaja for this test as an opener.

he's more suited to the middle order, but he bats 3... if you can bat 3 you can open when required IMO.

Hughes is definately a long term option in that he has a lot of potential. But he's technique is obviously very very poor, and he's very out of form so far this season.

 

[Bomber Bears]

I can't say I was impressed by Hughes at all today.

Tries to play an expansive shot to leg from his sixth delivery and gets bowled as a result.

It was a funny way to display that he has matured as a batsman and deserves a place in the side.

Maybe he should try defending the good balls early on until he gets his eye in - a strange notion, I know.

Hopefully this was just nerves or whatever and he can start scoring runs soon.

I remember his first over in test cricket, he got in a shocking way

then hit over 300 runs in his next few innings.

I query putting him in the side at present, but we are on a hiding to nothing, if the Ashes arent gone they very nearly are, and it's almost cut our losses and back a very talented youngster who, if nothing else, is very much a confidence player. If he fails continually (not just for a couple of tests) by all means drop him again and send him back to state cricket, but there is no point in picking talented youth if you are not going to back them. That is how you end up like England of the 90's, a string of 2-3 gamers who never received the backing of their selectors and team. They were shit for 15 years. I dont want Australia to be similar, and we have the talent to be near the top in the not too distant future. Doesnt mean anything tho if selectors will jump on any poor performance from the younger guys, whilst carrying mediocre 30+ year olds for extended runs.

 

[Bomber Bears]

Problem is, the state of opening batsmen in Shield cricket is appalingly low.

If not Hughes, who?

Agreed. I want Watson down the order as well but cant see much out there to come in.

 

[Dagger5]

I don't think he should be comparing himself with Sehwag at this stage.

 

[unstable punt]

I don't get why people think Hughes walks straight into the side. He's done absolutely nothing this season and Marsh should definitely be in the side ahead of him. Marsh has averaged 84 this summer compared to Hughes' 19. He's scored 1 50 (in the 2nd innings of the Aus A game) and is yet to sore a ton. England have him worked out as well. If he was in form, then yeah pick him, but he shouldn't come straight in when he's done nothing.

don't you get it, he comes from NSW

 

[benny_cousins]

I don't think I've ever seen a top order batsman so scared of a red cricket ball. The bloke obviously strikes it well when he finally gets hold of one but he spends a fair bit of time jumping around the crease like a jack rabbit... Apparently he's the best to pick from, so we don't have a top order batsman averaging more than 13 in Shield cricket?

 

[davis_756]

How is two 50's on the trot "not batting well"?

As for Hughes, he's got that genuine 'X-Factor' about him, can win matches off his own bat. Will no doubt fail every now and then but he's got that ability to win matches with his strokeplay and unpredictability and can score big hundreds, and for that reason I wouldn't hesitate to bring him in. He's going to be a long term Australian opener so why not bring him in now, this is probably the toughest assignment he's ever going to face.

No batsman can nor EVER will be able to win a game off their own bat, All they can do is avoid the team losing or make it impossible for the other side to win.

You can make 800 runs it counts for nothing if you can't take 20 wickets.

 

[Drummond]

No batsman can nor EVER will be able to win a game off their own bat, All they can do is avoid the team losing or make it impossible for the other side to win.

You can make 800 runs it counts for nothing if you can't take 20 wickets.

So bastmen can't be match winners? Alrighty then.

Seriously dude, go away, stop stalking me, you're exceptionally annoying.

 

[Bombers_Forever]

Problem is, the state of opening batsmen in Shield cricket is appalingly low.

If not Hughes, who?

Exactly. That is the only reason they are picking him. Watson and Katich started in the middle orders, why can't they pick a middle order player and make them opener? Oh thats right, Ponting and Clarke are not exactly making runs themselves and the selectors wouldn't be brave enough to pick Ferguson or Khawaja.......I am sure both would gladly take a baggy green if it meant they had to open.

 

[lemon chicken]

Cant remember a worse shot ive seen an opening batsman play in the second over of a test match. And people are blaming our bowlers for this mess of a series.

 

[pistonbroke23]

Exactly. That is the only reason they are picking him. Watson and Katich started in the middle orders, why can't they pick a middle order player and make them opener? Oh thats right, Ponting and Clarke are not exactly making runs themselves and the selectors wouldn't be brave enough to pick Ferguson or Khawaja.......I am sure both would gladly take a baggy green if it meant they had to open.

I think hodgey is right.I dont think any of these young blokes have earnt a cap yet.The numbers and experience levels dont add up .Smith,hughes,khawaja,ferguson.4 or 5 strong seasons of sheild success and a tough edge on a player was a formular that worked well for selection.D.Hussey , Max klinger , Cam White , and Ronny Mac are all quality players who play cricket to win , not to sell KFC , VB , and do underwear modelling.

 

[BarneyBent]

No batsman can nor EVER will be able to win a game off their own bat, All they can do is avoid the team losing or make it impossible for the other side to win.

You can make 800 runs it counts for nothing if you can't take 20 wickets.

Um, seriously? You can take 20 wickets every game, it counts for nothing if you don't have the runs on the board.

You bat twice, you bowl twice. Both are as important as each other.

 

[Smokey_22]

I think hodgey is right.I dont think any of these young blokes have earnt a cap yet.The numbers and experience levels dont add up .Smith,hughes,khawaja,ferguson.4 or 5 strong seasons of sheild success and a tough edge on a player was a formular that worked well for selection.D.Hussey , Max klinger , Cam White , and Ronny Mac are all quality players who play cricket to win , not to sell KFC , VB , and do underwear modelling.

Smith, Hughes and Khawaja have all done better with the bat than klinger, white, Hussey and macdonald in the past 3 years. Look at the stats.

And theyre younger.

 

[King Elvis]

Cant remember a worse shot ive seen an opening batsman play in the second over of a test match. And people are blaming our bowlers for this mess of a series.

Was an ordinary shot, but it was a ripper of a delivery.

Clarke, and as much as I hate to say it, Ponting's, shots were way, way worse.

 

[Selective Retention]

Problem is, the state of opening batsmen in Shield cricket is appalingly low.

If not Hughes, who?

Paine should take up opening again for Tassie in the shield when he gets back from injury, looks an easier in for him than replacing Haddin at the moment.

 

[sherb]

Was an ordinary shot, but it was a ripper of a delivery.

I disagree. The shot made the delivery look good.

It was an easily defendable ball for someone who was intent on valuing his wicket early on in his innings.

But Hughes was more intent on playing the millionaire shot than actually playing himself in.

Clarke, and as much as I hate to say it, Ponting's, shots were way, way worse.

They were both terrible shots too, no doubt. I'm extremely disappointed in Ponting in particular, if he is unable to leave alone the sucker balls outside off stump (which appears to be the case), he shouldn't be batting at 3.

 

[BarneyBent]

I've heard the Hughes shot referred to as "expansive", "millionnaire", "going for glory", amongst a host of other things. This bewilders me. It was a bloody leg glance! He would have been looking to nudge it to the on side for a single! The ball swung in a long way off a good length, missed the bat, took a deflection off the thigh and hit the stumps. It was a bloody good ball, which got past what would otherwise have been a fairly regulation single.

 

[Beth]

I feel for him, he is out of form and really should just be playing Shield cricket right now.

He is most definitely worth perservering with in the long run and I only hope he is mentally tough enough to continue to develop and improve whilst being put in and out of this pissweak national team. Hopefully our esteemed captain and vice captain aren't navel gazing too hard and are giving him the right sort of encouragement.

 

[Subprime]

I've heard the Hughes shot referred to as "expansive", "millionnaire", "going for glory", amongst a host of other things. This bewilders me. It was a bloody leg glance! He would have been looking to nudge it to the on side for a single! The ball swung in a long way off a good length, missed the bat, took a deflection off the thigh and hit the stumps. It was a bloody good ball, which got past what would otherwise have been a fairly regulation single.

The ball hit the top of off-stump didn't it? Anyone got the footage?

Looked pretty straight to me, straight thru the big bloody gate.

Openers need to be able to play in the V and take the shine off the ball. They need to be able to keep straight balls out.

When Hughes can do this he should be picked again.

 

[Goldencats]

The ball was good, but any opening batsman should have been all over that one, getting bowled through the gate like that really shows the kid lacks confidence atm

 

[western royboy]

I disagree. The shot made the delivery look good.

It was an easily defendable ball for someone who was intent on valuing his wicket early on in his innings.

But Hughes was more intent on playing the millionaire shot than actually playing himself in.

They were both terrible shots too, no doubt. I'm extremely disappointed in Ponting in particular, if he is unable to leave alone the sucker balls outside off stump (which appears to be the case), he shouldn't be batting at 3.

It was a good ball but defendable for someone with conventional technique. Hughes does not have this. Conventional technique might have got an inside edge caught at bat pad.

Pegs destroyed playing across the line in the 2nd over is just inviting people calling for his head but that's the way he plays.

I was against recalling him for this Test, Perth with tall bowlers in my opinion was inviting trouble but in reality, what other opening options do we have? The last recognised opener we picked was Phil Jacques (Chris Rogers - 1 Test). Katich and Watson aren't pure openers, they're manufactured (and I'll add that they have done a good job).

Phil Hughes has been treated harshly in the past given his recored but ultimately he has a very different technique to the norm. There seems some sympathy from wih CA give his demotion in England and he has always been the first one called for whenever Katich or Watson have missed in the past.

Having picked him here, the selectors are obliged to play him through until the end of the series. If the 3rd test had been in Sydney it would probably have been a totally different scenario, but it's not.

The selectors have picked him completely out of form against an attack that enjoys bouncy tracks and genuinely believes they are a chance of exploiting a significant technical flaw.

It's common knowledge what that flaw is, unfortunately it takes time to fix. Batting is and must be instinctive, your technique is refined over years and years of practice and playing. Under pressure you will do whatever comes naturally to you. Phil Hughes' natural instinct is to move his back leg to the leg side - the exact opposite of almost every long term successful batsman in the history of Test Cricket - (Sehwag is porobably the exception - he just doesn't move his feet at all but in the main his scores are mainly on wickets which are slow and low.

His technique has got him to the highest level there is, I'm not sure it can take him much further unless he can make a change and as explained it takes time.

It's a no win situation.

 

[iluvparis]

Exactly - I can't remember who but I'm sure more than one cricketing expert has stated that your openers should not be getting out bowled. If he had played with bat/pad together and it had swung and smashed him on the pads then fair enough - but given he was bowled through the gate he has no excuses.