Phil Hughes treated like Bradman by the English

 

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By Benjamin Conkey, 4 Jul 2009 Benjamin Conkey is a Roar Pro

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 Australian Cricket, Cricket, english cricket, Phil Hughes, The Ashes

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NSW opening batsman Phillip Hughes speaks at a press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. Hughes is in line to make his Test debut for Australia later this month after being named in a 14-man squad for the tour of South Africa. AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy

Seventy-odd years ago, former Surrey and England captain Percy Fender noticed Don Bradman step away from a short pitched ball on a news reel. It was footage from Australia’s 1930 tour of England. Word got around to Douglas Jardine, that this Bradman may not be perfect afterall.

And so Bodyline was born.

Today, that ‘news reel’ footage has been replaced by High Definition, world-wide, live coverage of a Tour match between Australia and the British Lions.

And Bradman has been replaced by this young up and coming star called Hughes, a man who has plundered English county attacks for two months and who has overcome a firesome South African bowling line-up.

The Poms are quite rightly scared of being humbled by this run-making machine.

But Steve Harmison reckons he’s uncovered a major weakness in Phil Hughes. While I didn’t get to watch the innings live, I saw the highlights, and Harmy did appear to have Hughes in all sorts.

His wicket ball was superb. Straight at Hughes’ throat, with the young Australian having no choice but to fend it away to slip.

Harmison is an unusual bowler, an individual, freely admitting to having homesickness – to the point where he’s a completely different bowler away from the comfort of a warm English lager.

Even if he doesn’t play in the Ashes series, Harmison might have done his job by showing the bowlers how to take on Hughes.

The question is, does Hughes really have a short-ball weakness?

I don’t remember the South Africans bowling too many genuine bouncers to him. If they did bowl short, it was usually wide of middle stump, and Hughes played those customary cuts over cover.

Steve Harmison bowled straight and had the ball lift with that tennis ball bounce.

Now, you can guarantee that Hughes will be working overtime in the nets before the Ashes. Regardless of whether he has a problem or not, it could get to him mentally.

And he knows that the English bowlers will give it to him.

The best response will be to diffuse those first short-balls – either by handling them defensively or by dispatching a couple to the boundary.

It’s tough being a batsman today. When you have any sort of weakness, everyone can see it, and review it, time and again.

Coaches can get DVDs made up, watching each dismissal a batsman has had in his career. They can get those hawk-eye pitch maps and see which length deliveries are being hit for runs.

There is nowhere to hide, which makes it all the more worthwhile if you succeed.

The English think they have found the answer to unnerving Australia’s talented opener. My guess is that Phillip Hughes will respond and kindly tell the Poms to go back to the drawing board.