Phillip’s dad Greg Hughes said once the young star had the all-clear that everyone was fit and ready to play, Hughes was on the next flight out of Melbourne to make it home for a post-Christmas celebration with family.

He was grateful and excited to be selected as a reserve batsman for the popular cricketing event and showed confidence in his form to be kept in contention for a run next year, Greg said.

However, before that day comes, Hughes had his sights set on maintaining form for selection as a back-up batsman for the Australian cricket team’s New Zealand tour in February-March next year.

As 2009 draws to a close Greg proudly looked back on his 21-year-old son’s successful year of cricket.

Some of the highlights of Hughes’ career so far included playing his first senior game against Tasmania in November 2007 at the Sydney Cricket Ground – at 18 years-old, Hughes was the youngest New South Wales debutant since Michael Clarke in 1999. He opened the batting in the NSW winning match to get his career off to a solid start. He scored 51 and took two catches.

Hughes enjoyed strong success in England for the Middlesex English cricket season, scoring 574 runs in his three first-class matches, including three hundreds, at an average of 143.50.

During Australia’s tour of South Africa in February and March this year, Hughes was called up to replace Matthew Hayden after consistently making runs at domestic level.

Hughes hit his maiden Test hundred in the first innings of the second Test at the Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, Durban in March 2009, which brought up his hundred with a four and consecutive sixes. He went on to add another hundred in the second innings. In doing so, Hughes, at 20-years-old, became both the youngest Australian since Doug Walters to score a Test

century and the youngest player from any country to score a century in both innings of a Test match.

This year Hughes was also named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year. Hughes received the Sheffield Shield Player of the Year for 2008-09; and in 2007 was awarded the New South Wales Rising Star award.

His family have all the confidence he will maintain his level of commitment and dedication to the game for many more successful years.