Banana man Hughes heads back to the farm
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Getty Images
Phillip Hughes is back in Australia but there was no holiday when he returned home ahead of the Ashes. He spent a day helping his dad on the banana farm, according to James Phelps in the Daily Telegraph. He also reveals how his backyard games helped him hone his cover drives.
"If you hit the clothes line it was 25 runs automatic," Hughes said. "If you hit it on the full, it was 50 ... the side fence here was two runs on the bounce or roll, on the full was four, the back fence was four, on the full on the back fence was six, the chook pen was six."
In the Australian Peter Wilson writes about Hughes’ time with Middlesex.
When Hughes began ripping apart county bowling attacks five weeks ago, he knew he might end up causing headaches for the English administrators who had allowed him to get used to conditions just before his first Ashes tour. What he didn't know was that he was also risking heart attacks for some of the crusty old cricket buffs watching him play.
Peter English is former Australasia editor of ESPNcricinfo