Rhodes tips Hughes for Ashes recall

By Paul Bolton

Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes has tipped Australia batsman Phil Hughes to reclaim his Test place before next summer’s Ashes tour to England.

Hughes was dropped from Australia’s senior squad earlier this year and has not even made the A team for their tour to England later in the summer.

The left-hander, who has already played county cricket for Middlesex and Hampshire, is spending the summer playing for Worcestershire and has proved an instant hit at New Road with two Clydesdale Bank 40 centuries and three half centuries, including a Twenty20 best in the 19-run win over Glamorgan in the Friends Life t20.

Rhodes has been impressed with his overseas recruit and believes that Hughes will be back in next summer as part of Australia’s Test squad.

“Phil went through a patch didn’t he? To his credit he was determined to get out of that rut, he went away and did some work and he’s seeing the benefit now,” Rhodes said.

“He’s an absolute run thief when he gets going and that’s what he’s done for us, he did it for Middlesex and obviously he’s done it for Australia.

“He’s just getting back into things now.  Australia is a place with lots of talented cricketers but it wouldn’t  surprise me  to see Phil get back involved with Australia in the not too far away future because they will see these kind of results and be impressed by it.

“He didn’t go away and accept that’s the way it was, he went away and did something about it. I think he will go very close [to making the Ashes tour] and I would be very surprised if he didn’t get involved in that.”

While Hughes makes an impression in county cricket, Worcestershire are still awaiting the arrival of their Twenty20 specialist overseas player Sohail Tanvir.

The Pakistan left arm seamer’s debut in county cricket has been delayed by international call-ups and visa problems but Rhodes believes that Tanvir could still have an important part to play in taking Worcestershire into the T20 quarter-finals.

“We are very optimistic we will get him next week,” Rhodes saod. “It’s sad to think that we have not had him for the bulk of the games but to the credit of the boys they have manned up because we are short of an overseas bowler and they have done a great job and filled the void. But he is going to add strength to our side and that’s why we want him here.”


Date: 29/06/2012 22:22:27 by Paul Bolton
In: Worcestershire | Today |