Phillip Hughes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Phillip Hughes

Hughes in February 2010
Personal information
Full name	Phillip Joel Hughes
Born	(1988-11-30)30 November 1988 Macksville, New South Wales, Australia
Died	27 November 2014(2014-11-27) (aged 25) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Nickname	Hughesy, Little Don, Hugh Dog
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off break
Role	Top order batsman
International information
National side	Australia (2009–2014)
Test debut (cap 408)	26 February 2009 v South Africa
Last Test	18 July 2013 v England
ODI debut (cap 198)	11 January 2013 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	12 October 2014 v Pakistan
ODI shirt no.	64
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2007/08–2011/12	New South Wales
2009	Middlesex
2010	Hampshire
2012	Worcestershire
2012/13–2013/14	South Australia
2012/13–2013/14	Adelaide Strikers
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 26 25 114 91 Runs scored 1,535 826 9,023 3,639 Batting average 32.66 35.91 46.51 47.25 100s/50s 3/7 2/4 26/46 8/23 Top score 160 138* 243* 202* Balls bowled – – 24 – Wickets – – 0 – Bowling average – – – – 5 wickets in innings – – – – 10 wickets in match – – – – Best bowling – – – – Catches/stumpings 15/– 5/– 72/– 30/–
Source: CricketArchive, 25 November 2014

Phillip Joel Hughes (born November 30, 1988 – died November 27, 2014) was a talented Australian Test and One Day International (ODI) cricketer. He was a left-handed opening batsman. Phillip played for South Australia and Worcestershire in domestic cricket.

He started his Test career in 2009 when he was just 20 years old. He played for New South Wales for two seasons before that. In 2013, he made his debut in One Day International matches.

In March 2009, Phillip scored his first Test century. He was 20 and playing his second Test match for Australia against South Africa. He scored 115 runs in the first part of the game. This made him Australia's youngest Test centurion since 1965. In the same match, he scored 160 runs in the second part. This made him the youngest player ever to score centuries in both parts of a Test match. Australia won that game.

On January 11, 2013, Phillip made history again. He became the first Australian batsman to score a century (100 runs) in his very first ODI match. This happened against Sri Lanka in Melbourne.

Sadly, on November 25, 2014, during a Sheffield Shield match, Phillip was hit in the neck by a cricket ball. This caused a serious injury. He was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney. Doctors tried their best, but he never woke up. Phillip Hughes passed away on November 27, just three days before his 26th birthday.

Hughes in the nets

Early Life and Junior Cricket

Phillip Hughes was born in Macksville, New South Wales. His father, Greg, was a banana farmer, and his mother, Virginia, was Italian. Phillip was also a very good rugby league player. He even played with Greg Inglis, who later became an Australian international player.

He started playing junior cricket for Macksville RSL Cricket Club. He was so good that he played in the A-Grade team at age 12. He even scored a century in representative cricket. When he was 17, Phillip moved to Sydney. He played for Western Suburbs District Cricket Club and went to Homebush Boys High. In his first grade game, he scored 141 not out. He had a great 2006–07 season, scoring 752 runs. He also played for Australia in the 2008 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

First-Class Career Highlights

Phillip Hughes scored many runs for youth teams and in grade cricket. Because of this, New South Wales offered him a contract for the 2007–08 season. After scoring well in practice games, he made his first-class debut. This happened against Tasmania on November 20, 2007, at the Sydney Cricket Ground. At 18 years old, he was the youngest New South Wales player to debut since Michael Clarke in 1999. Phillip scored 51 runs and took two catches in his first game.

Phillip had an amazing first season for New South Wales. He played seven matches and scored 559 runs. He made one century and six scores of 50 or more. A big moment was in the Pura Cup final against Victoria. He scored 116 runs, helping his team win. At 19, he was the youngest player to score a century in a Sheffield Shield final. He won the New South Wales Rising Star Award for his achievements.

In 2009, Phillip played for Middlesex in England. He played three first-class matches there. He scored 574 runs, including three centuries. His average was an impressive 143.50.

He continued to play well in Australia. In the 2010/11 season, he scored two centuries in a row for New South Wales. This earned him praise from the Australian selectors.

List A Career Highlights

Phillip Hughes made his List A debut on November 28, 2007. This was less than a week after his first-class debut. He played against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He scored 68 runs in that game.

On May 17, 2009, Phillip scored his first century in limited overs cricket. He made 119 runs for Middlesex against Warwickshire. On July 29, 2014, he scored a double century (202 not out from 151 balls) in a match against South Africa A.

Australian International Career

Because he was scoring so many runs, Phillip was chosen to play for Australia. He joined the team for their tour of South Africa in 2009. He made his Test debut on February 26, 2009. In his first Test innings, he was out for zero runs. But in the second innings, he scored 75 runs.

Phillip scored his first Test century in the second Test match in Durban. He then scored another century in the same match. At 20 years old, he became the youngest Australian to score a Test century. He was also the youngest player from any country to score centuries in both innings of a Test match.

Ducking to a short ball that, according to critics, caused him problems in England.

During the 2009 Ashes series, fast bowlers found ways to challenge Phillip's batting style. He was then left out of the team for a short time. After returning from South Africa, an award was created in his hometown of Macksville. It was called the Phillip Hughes Award, for promising young cricketers. In 2009, he also won the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award.

Phillip played some more Test matches when other players were injured. He played against Pakistan and New Zealand. In March 2010, he scored a quick 86 runs from 75 balls against New Zealand.

Hughes at Northampton in July 2009

He played regularly for Australia for about a year. This included matches in the Ashes, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and against New Zealand. However, his scores were not always consistent. He scored 126 in Colombo and 88 in Johannesburg, but other scores were low. He was often caught out by fielders near the bat. After a series against New Zealand where he struggled, he was dropped from the team.

Phillip then played for Worcestershire in England. He worked on improving his batting technique. When he returned to Australia, he moved to South Australia. This helped him score many runs in first-class and one-day cricket. These good performances led to him being called back to the Australian Test team in December 2012. He scored an impressive 86 runs in his first match back.

In January 2013, Phillip was selected for Australia's ODI squad. He scored 112 runs in his ODI debut, becoming the first Australian to score a century on debut. He opened the innings with Aaron Finch. He scored his second match-winning ODI century with 138 not out in the same series.

Phillip played in the Test series in India in 2013, but he found it tough. He also played in the first two Tests of the 2013 Ashes. He was part of a world record partnership with Ashton Agar, scoring 163 runs for the tenth wicket. However, he was then dropped from the team. He continued to play in ODI series until October 2014. He also played one Twenty20 International match for Australia in October 2014.

Awards

• New South Wales Rising Star Award: 2008
• Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: 2009
• Sheffield Shield Player of the Year: 2008/09
• Domestic Player of the Year: 2012/13

Personal Life

A year before he passed away, Phillip bought a 90-hectare property in Macksville. He had 70 Angus cattle there.

He was very good friends with his teammates Michael Clarke and David Warner. He was also friends with boxer Anthony Mundine. He grew up with Greg Inglis, a former rugby league player from Macksville.

Phillip's Passing

During a Sheffield Shield match on November 25, 2014, Phillip Hughes was batting. He was on 63 runs when a ball hit him in the neck. This happened when he tried to hit a bouncer from bowler Sean Abbott. Phillip was wearing a helmet, but the ball hit an area not covered by it. He collapsed and was taken to St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney. Doctors performed surgery, but his injury was very serious.

The cricket match was stopped right away. Other matches around Australia were also stopped. Everyone in the cricket world was very sad.

On the morning of November 27, 2014, Phillip Hughes passed away from his injuries. This was three days before his 26th birthday. Australia's cricket captain, Michael Clarke, read a statement from Phillip's family.

After Phillip's passing, people wanted to make cricket helmets safer. New helmet designs now have extra guards for the back of the head. An independent review in 2016 said that the incident was a tragic accident. It also said that new safety changes, like mandatory helmets for certain players, would not have prevented it. Now, defibrillators must be available at all cricket grounds for Cricket Australia-sanctioned matches.

Investigation into his passing

An investigation into Phillip's passing started on October 10, 2016. The final conclusion was that it was a tragic accident. It was due to a tiny mistake by the batsman. No players or umpires were found to be at fault.

Tributes to Phillip

Many tributes were paid to Phillip Hughes. Cricket matches were suspended or teams paid their respects. People around the world posted photos of their cricket bats online to honor him.

Phillip's funeral was held on December 3, 2014, in Macksville. Many people attended, including famous cricketers and Australia's Prime Minister. Michael Clarke, Aaron Finch, and Tom Cooper were among those who carried his coffin.

Two cricket matches between Australia and India were rescheduled to allow for mourning. Phillip was listed as the "13th man" for the first Test. His Test cap number, 408, was sewn onto Australian players' uniforms. It was also painted on the field. There were 63 seconds of applause before the match. When players David Warner and Steve Smith reached 63 runs, they raised their bats to remember Phillip. When Australia reached 408 runs, the game paused to mark the occasion. Michael Clarke wore a black armband with Phillip's initials. He dedicated Australia's 2015 Cricket World Cup victory to Phillip.

Phillip's One-Day International shirt number, 64, was officially retired in his memory. His final score was changed to show him as 63 not out. A special 63-over tribute match was played in Nepal.

A road bridge near his hometown of Macksville has been named after Phillip Hughes.

See also

• List of unusual deaths
• Ray Chapman, an American baseball player killed after being struck by a ball during a game; he was the only player in Major League Baseball history to die of an in-game injury
• List of fatal accidents in cricket