da spicy bet： Philiip Hughes, certain to make his Test debut against South Africa at the Wanderers, is cool
Brydon Coverdale in Johannesburg24-Feb-2009
Phillip Hughes: “Five years ago I was sitting back in the lounge room watching these guys. Now to get out there and play with them and mingle with them, it’s been great fun” © Getty Images
A few weeks ago Phillip Hughes received a simple piece of advice fromthe man who on Thursday he will replace at the top of Australia’s Testline-up. Matthew Hayden was having a quiet beer with his 20-year-oldsuccessor when he told him that when he takes the field in his firstTest he should “just be yourself”.It was the same tip Michael Hussey received when he went out to bat onhis Test debut, although the mentor on that occasion was Shane Warne,standing at a toilet in his underpants with a cigarette in hand. It’sa fair bet Hayden was fully-clothed when he handed out his words ofwisdom. The naturally composed Hughes probably didn’t need the advicebut the source was important to him.When Hayden made his Test debut, Hughes was five years old. Haydenwent on to become one of the most successful Test openers of all timebut it was in part the dominance of Hughes at state level this yearthat contributed to pressure building on Hayden to retire from theTest arena. Hughes said it had only recently started to sink in thathe was replacing one of the icons of Australia’s modern era.”When I first got on the plane with all the guys, that’s when itreally sank in,” Hughes said. “That was about a week later after I’dgot the call-up. Matthew Hayden has been great for Australian cricket,he’s played at the top level for so many years. It’s great to be hereand I think it’s only just sunk in.”I heard from him just before I came over. I actually had a quiet beerwith him at a function for the Steve Waugh Foundation. He was thereand we had a quiet little chat there. He said, ‘just be yourself’. Wejust had a chat about life and cricket and a few things. He just toldme to keep it simple and play how I normally play.”That’s exactly what Hughes did in his first match for Australia, thetour game at Potchefstroom, where he made a confident 24 in the firstinnings before going on to post a half-century in the second. He wasstill struggling to believe some of the names he was playing with,including the captain Ricky Ponting, who made his Test debut whenHughes was seven.”[It was a] great experience, to play alongside the likes of RickyPonting, Michael Clarke,” Hughes said. “Five years ago I was sittingback in the lounge room watching these guys. Now to get out there andplay with them and mingle with them, it’s been great fun.”Australia could have as many as three or four debutants at theWanderers on Thursday but Hughes is the only one whose place iscertain. The travelling selector David Boon has been impressed by theway such a young man has handled the pressure in the lead-up to thefirst Test.”He seems pretty calm about it all, he’s quiet,” Boon said. “You wouldexpect that around the dressing room, around the players, but you cansee an intent with it, you can see that he always appears to bethinking about the game, thinking about his role and what he’s goingto do. He’s attuned to what his game is and he doesn’t try to gooutside of it.”Hughes embarked on the tour with a first-class average of more than 60and an especially good sign was his ability to make big scores inimportant situations. The most notable came in the Pura Cup final lastseason, when he helped New South Wales to victory and became theyoungest man to score a century in an Australian first-class decider.”That was a massive deal,” Hughes said. “I think I’d played sixfirst-class games going into that game. I had six fifties under mybelt with no century. The press were saying can he do it or whatnot,and to get the big one on that stage was very exciting. The Aussieguys like Michael Clarke and Katto [Katich] were back then, so it was a greattime to play with those guys.”Simon Katich will be beside Hughes when they walk out to face themusic in the first innings in Johannesburg, where Hughes hasvolunteered to take strike against the opening delivery. No doubtthere will be a few nerves as Dale Steyn runs in with the new ball inhand but Hughes has spent the past few weeks analysing the SouthAfrican attack.”In Australia obviously I was just watching them on TV, watching themgo about their stuff,” he said. “And now I’m definitely watching themon tape. The main thing is just talking to the likes of Ricky Pontingand all the batsmen, all the guys in the side to see how they go aboutapproaching playing them.”All will be revealed when the Test starts on Thursday. One thing thatis certain is that Hughes will be himself.