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Phillip Hughes' family has a banana farm and he even looked slightly banana-shaped when he bent back to miss a couple of fizzing Dale Steyn bouncers
© AFP
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Don Bradman on Friday. George Headley on Sunday. It's a shame Test
matches don't span three innings per team or
Phillip Hughes could have
tried to knock off Garfield Sobers on Tuesday. But his Test career is
only eight days old. He's got to leave himself some challenges for the
future.
Hughes closed the third day at Kingsmead unbeaten on 136. Two days
after he slotted in above Bradman on the list of Australia's youngest
Test centurions, he became the youngest man to score a century in each
innings of a Test, beating the previous record-holder Headley, who was
20 years and 267 days old when he destroyed England
at Georgetown in
1930.
"It's very exciting," Hughes said after stumps, his voice soft and
respectful. "I didn't actually know about that record until I walked
into the sheds and a couple of guys mentioned it but it was one very
special moment."
Hughes has been so composed in the opening stages of his international
career that it is hard to believe that four months ago he was a
teenager. A healthy Simon Katich-like stubble adds to the impression
that he is older than his 20 years and 98 days, as does his insistence
that he is Phillip, not Phil. But more than anything it's his mature
cricketing outlook that creates a deceptive air of experience.
Apart from the aberration of his ugly and nervy fourth-ball duck in
the first innings at the Wanderers, Hughes has proven to be completely
unintimidated by what should have been a fearsome fast-bowling attack
of Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel. And just for good
measure, the quick and bouncy Kingsmead pitch made his job less than
simple in the second innings.
It was pleasing for Australia that Hughes adapted to the harder
conditions after being blessed with a beautiful batting surface on the
first morning. Whereas Hughes' first Test century came at a
wonderfully entertaining strike-rate of 76, that figure dropped to 45
for his second hundred as greater concentration was required.
"Today I thought [Paul] Harris bowled beautifully into the rough, a
few balls spitting here and there, and going everywhere really,"
Hughes said. "I knew if I just kept going and batting there was a big
one for the taking. I had to be very patient and just a few overs here
and there sit on him and go from there."
Sit on Harris he did. And on the other bowlers. Hughes took 169
deliveries to go from 50 to 100 as he toughed it and was nearly
overtaken by his captain Ricky Ponting, who had given Hughes a 24-run
headstart. Hughes still played his shots and cut and drove with
precision but there was none of the flashiness of racing through the
nineties in four balls, as he had done on Friday.
This time he spent 28 deliveries getting from 90 to triple-figures,
defending the good balls and patiently waiting for a chance to pounce.
When it came with a slash over the cordon off Morne Morkel, Hughes and
his partner Michael Hussey high-fived as they took off for a run.
Australia's coach Tim Nielsen said after Hughes' second-innings 75 in
Johannesburg that he was a young man who learnt "by the minute" and it
was a statement that will frighten opposition teams considering the
high base from which he has started. His quick adaptation was on
display in Durban, where he appeared far more in control against short
stuff from Steyn and Morkel compared to the Wanderers, where he looked
to be backing away when balls were aimed at his head.
His family has a banana farm and Hughes even looked slightly
banana-shaped when he bent back to miss a couple of fizzing Steyn
bouncers. Importantly, his feet were often planted and never did he
back down. It was exactly what was expected by those who know Hughes
best, including his parents Greg and Virginia, who saw their son make
a forgettable duck at the Wanderers before flying home to Macksville
in northern New South Wales.
It's a town with a population of just over 2000 and it's fair to say
Hughes is the king of Macksville. After his efforts over the past
three days he can also lay claim to being Prince Phillip of Kingsmead.
Brydon Coverdale is a staff writer at Cricinfo