Phillip Hughes, of Potential, Promise and a Sad Ending

Traditionally, Australia had a series of great opening batsmen in both formats of the game. The list is quite long. David Boon, Geoff Marsh, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist. Then there were Simon Katich and Shane Watson. To fill the shoes of Hayden was not easy and it was here that the not-so-classic Phillip Hughes was asked to step in.

Since making his Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in February-March 2009, the left-handed Hughes played 26 Tests, scoring 1535 runs, studded with three centuries and seven fifties. With a top score of 160 versus South Africa at Durban, Hughes has a modest Test average of 32.65 but what has made him a fringe player is the lack of consistency. Hughes, 25, played his last Test match against England at Lord's in July 2013.

Phillip Hughes was making headlines last week. With an injured Michael Clarke doubtful for the first Test against India, Hughes was being seen as a possible replacement for the Aussie skipper in the Brisbane Test starting December 4. But then fate had another idea. Batting on 63 for South Australia, Hughes was struck by a bouncer from New South Wales quickie Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney, collapsed on the pitch and finally lost his battle with life on Thursday, after being in coma for three days.

Phillip Hughes played for NSW before shifting to South Australia for the 2012-13 season. On Tuesday, when he was felled by a bouncer, Hughes received immediate support from a clutch of NSW mates --- Watson, Brad Haddin and David Warner -- who would probably have shared the Gabba dressing room with the popular opener. Watson and Hughes have opened the batting for Australia before.

Not a Test opener of the classical mould, Hughes loved to slice and pull the ball. No wonder he has played 25 ODIs, scored 826 runs with a highest of 138 not out against Sri Lanka in Hobart. With two hundreds and four fifties, Hughes averages close to 36 in the 50-over format. Hughes was an aggressive batsman and his talent was spotted by Mumbai Indians for the Indian Premier League.

Compared to Tests, Phillip Hughes, the banana farmer's son with a love of cattle, made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in Melbourne in January 2013. He became the first Australian batsman in the history of ODI cricket to score a century on debut. His last match, batting in the middle-order, was against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on October 12, 2014. He scored 5 as Australia won by a run to clinch the series 3-0.

Hughes made his Test debut in 2009 at the age of 20. It was baptism of fire as Hughes opened the innings alongside Katich at Cape Town. A duck, 75 and a pair of hundreds in the next Test at Durban confirmed he was a man for the future.

At Kingsmead, Hughes became the youngest cricketer ever to score back-to-back centuries in a Test match. But his form ran hot and cold and his weakness against short-pitched ball did not help. Double hundreds in a Test match against a quality South African attack was no mean achievement. But such sparks have been few and far between.

At 19, Phillip Hughes was rewarded for his achievements by winning the New South Wales Rising Star Award. With age on his side, Hughes could have given a lot more to Australian cricket.