Whenever you consider essentially the most prolific Australian one-day batters within the greater than 50-year historical past of the lads’s white-ball format, I’m positive many names come to thoughts.
Maybe you consider the ending prowess of Michael Bevan or the soundness of Dean Jones or the magnificent pull shot of Ricky Ponting.
Nonetheless, one identify that very not often involves thoughts is Daniel Peter Hughes.
Hughes is a statistical anomaly. In comparison with different batters within the huge historical past of the Australian home one-day competitors he ranks among the many very highest, far larger than David Warner and Aaron Finch. He’s even statistically higher than Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn and the late nice Dean Jones.
A valiant left-handed opener with a talismanic cowl drive that may make Rahul Dravid proud, Hughes has been a staple of the New South Wales prime order for the final eight seasons. His identify is touted once in a while for nationwide honours, however he’s but to make an Australian squad. The retirement of Aaron Finch this yr has opened the door for a brand new opener to stabilise the struggling prime order.
So at 33 years outdated the standard, jovial opener from Cowra has his likelihood to interrupt into the Australian facet – that’s, if George Bailey and co are keen to do what they need to’ve accomplished years in the past and embody him.
Hughes’s prolific batting common of 57.90 in home one-day cricket is greater than noteworthy. Within the historical past of the competitors, Hughes holds the third highest batting common of gamers with a minimal of ten innings. The one two he trails are the aforementioned Michael Bevan (61.18), who many think about the best one-day finisher of all time, and Steve Smith (59.03), the very best since Don Bradman.
(Picture by Matt King/Getty Pictures)
Of the highest ten batters on that listing, Hughes is the one one to not play ODI cricket. Actually, of the highest 20, the one different participant to not play ODI cricket is Dominic Michael, who presently represents Samoa in T20s.
With Australia’s ODI sequence in opposition to England kicking off immediately in preparation for subsequent yr’s ODI World Cup, Travis Head has been given the primary chunk of the cherry in changing long-time incumbent Finch. Head’s batting report speaks for itself. He averages a good 41.35 in Australian home one-day video games in only one extra innings than Hughes, and he boasts two ODI lots of from 45 innings.
Nonetheless, he nonetheless falls wanting Hughes’s common by a substantial 16.55 runs, roughly the identical distinction within the ODI batting averages of Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc.
The opposite benefit Hughes has over his counterpart is that Head sometimes bats at No. 3 for South Australia, having opened simply as soon as within the 2022-23 season, and he typically involves the crease on the again finish of the powerplay. Hughes, however, has opened constantly for NSW, having confronted the brand-new Kookaburra in each Checklist A match he’s performed within the final 4 seasons and past.
Hughes has extra home Checklist A runs than each incumbent David Warner and Finch’s alternative, Travis Head, regardless of batting fewer occasions than each of them. He has additionally scored double the variety of centuries as retiring captain Finch regardless of strolling to the crease on simply over half the variety of innings Aaron has.
It’s additionally necessary to contemplate his smaller variety of video games is a byproduct of the lack of the home-and-away one-day season, with every staff enjoying solely 5 – 6 video games per yr since 2013-14 (though he performed seven in 2014-15). His eight centuries rank him eighth within the historical past of the competitors, and he’s the one participant within the prime ten to have performed fewer than 60 innings (34), and he holds the best strike price in that ten.
Contemplating that Hughes scores a century in 23.5 per cent of his home one-day innings – in comparison with Warner’s 12.8 per cent Finch’s 6.3 per cent, Head’s 8.6 per cent and Ben McDermott’s 13.3 per cent – it’s a marvel he’s nonetheless but to put on the Aussie colors.
The left-hander has been essentially the most dependable opener within the home competitors and is just enhancing with age. He has already recorded two Checklist A centuries this season – 117 in opposition to Victoria in September and 139 in opposition to South Australia final weekend. There isn’t a motive Hughes shouldn’t make his ODI debut in opposition to England this sequence other than the actual fact he’s not within the squad.
With a now retired captain and an ODI World Cup simply across the nook, the Australian staff is craving for stability and consistency on the prime of the order. Daniel Hughes has highlighted himself over the previous seasons as a dependable run-scorer on the prime of an ever-changing batting order. The stats show it.
What else does he should do to put on the canary yellow?
