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Australia's batsman Phillip Hughes. AP Photo/Themba Hadebe
Sixty years ago Australian Test opening batsman, Jack Moroney, made a pair in the first Test of the Ashes series at Brisbane and was dropped from the team. Earlier that year, he had become the first Australian player to score a century in each innings of a Test match against South Africa.
When this effort was emulated by 20 year old Phillip Hughes in 2008, it sparked some comparisons between the two.
While not quite in the category of the Lincoln/JFK coincidences, the remarkable similarities between Moroney and Hughes are uncanny:
• Both were born in the northern New South Wales town of Macksville.
• Both came to Sydney to play grade cricket- Moroney with Marrickville and Hughes with Western Suburbs, which are only a few kilometres from each other.
• Both opened the batting for New South Wales and scored 51 runs each on their first class debut (Moroney 22 and 29 and Hughes 51).
• Both forced their way into Australian touring teams to South Africa. Moroney was picked when Sid Barnes refused to tour because of poor pay and Hughes after Matthew Hayden announced his retirement from Test cricket.
• Both made their Test debut at Johannesburg and recorded ducks in their first innings having opened the batting. Both of their sides recorded totals of over 400 in these innings.
• Both were still part of resounding victories in their first Tests- Moroney’s team won by an innings and 85 runs, while Hughes’ side won by 162 runs.
• In their second Test innings, both scored half centuries – Moroney being dismissed on the devil’s number 87 and Hughes for 76.
• They are the only two Australian batsmen to register a century in each innings of a Test match against South Africa
• After their South Africa tours, both played their next Test match against England and struggled. Moroney’s pair of ducks in Brisbane on a sticky wicket led to him being dropped and Hughes’ troubles against the short pitched bowling in England was behind his quite controversial omission in the 2009 Ashes series.
• Each came back for a single Test – Moroney against the West Indies in 1951-52 and Hughes against Pakistan in January of this year when Simon Katich pulled out injured. Both were dropped again after failing to impress although their teams won again in thrilling finishes- Moroney’s by one wicket and Hughes’ by 36 runs.
• At this stage, Hughes has played seven Test matches- the same as Moroney finished his career with.
• Both average over 50 runs in first class cricket- Moroney 52.24 and Hughes 59.72
• Both have scored two Test hundreds
• Both have 34 scores of 50 or more in first class cricket- Moroney 12 centuries and 22 50s and Hughes 13 100s and 21 half centuries
• Both have no first class wickets- Moroney 0-15 and Hughes 0-3
• Both have kept very briefly- Moroney for a full first class match against Western Province in South Africa in which he made one stumping off Colin McCool’s bowling and Hughes in the ICC under 19 World Cup against Pakistan in 2008 as well as filling in during a limited over match for his state last season.
So while Jack Moroney made his Test debut at 33 and retired after a brief Test career, surely Phil Hughes has time on his side having debuted at just 20 years old.
As we approach another Ashes series in Australia this season, for Hughes’ sake, we can only hope that some of these incredible coincidences will only be temporary.
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