Kim Hughes

Kimberley John Hughes (born 26 January 1954) is a former cricketer who played for Western Australia, Natal and Australia.

Hughes was born on 26 January 1954, at Margaret River, Western Australia, the first child of father Stan, a school teacher, and mother Ruth.

The Hughes family lived in nearby Kudardup, where Stan was in charge of the one-teacher school.

Stan's profession would take the Hughes family across much of the south-west of Western Australia, including postings at Ballidu, Pinjarra and Geraldton.

The Hughes family settled in the Geraldton suburb of Wonthella and Hughes attended the local Allendale Primary School, where his father was the headmaster.

In Geraldton, the young Hughes played a variety of sports, including hockey, tennis and especially Australian rules football.

His boyhood hero was Austin Robertson, Jr. who played for Subiaco Football Club, the club that Hughes' father had played for as a young man.

His first organised cricket was as an 11-year old, filling in for the Bluff Point Cricket Club under-16 side.

Aged 11, he was selected for a Geraldton under-16 representative side to compete in the junior "Country Week" tournament in the state capital of Perth, where his teammates included Geoff Gallop, later Premier of Western Australia.

He was selected in the Geraldton Country Week team again the following year.

It was at this tournament that Hughes' performances playing against much older boys saw him come to the attention of cricket administrators.

After Hughes finished primary school, the family moved to Perth.

Hughes attended City Beach High School and played cricket for the Floreat Park (now Floreat) Under-16 side.

In his final season at junior level Hughes scored 555 runs at an average of 46 and took 28 wickets at an average of 6, and was included in the Western Australia Colts squad.

The next season, aged 15, Hughes made his first grade debut for Subiaco-Floreat Cricket Club, captained by former Test player Des Hoare; Hughes made 36 runs.

In January 1970, Hughes was selected to play for Western Australia in the national under-19 carnival.

His captain, Ric Charlesworth, later described Hughes as "the most gifted junior cricketer I ever saw. No one else comes close."

Later that season Hughes made his first century in first grade cricket, against Midland-Guildford; he finished the season topping the club batting averages.

After only nine first grade games, in 1970–71 Hughes was included in the Western Australian Sheffield Shield squad.

Described at the time by Test wicket-keeper Rod Marsh as "a technically perfect batsman", the Perth press speculated he might even make his first-class cricket debut later that season.

Instead, Hughes suffered from the "second-year blues" and struggled for runs, averaging only 23 for the season.

He was unable to break out of the slump for the next two seasons, finding himself out of the state squad.

During this time he managed to retain selection in the state colts team, in one match against the Victorian colts scoring a dashing 97 before being caught on the boundary attempting to make his century from a six.

It would be four years after his maiden first grade century that Hughes would make his second, against North Perth.

In 1973–74, Hughes was called up to the Western Australian squad.

He acted as twelfth man in three successive matches, but was unable to break into the playing XI due to the strong Western Australian batting line-up.

Impatient to play at first-class level, Hughes left for Adelaide mid-season to try his luck at gaining selection for South Australia, whose batting was not as strong.

He played for East Torrens Cricket Club and awaited an invitation to play for South Australia; he was not even invited to train with the state squad.

His South Australian experiment unsuccessful, Hughes—disappointed and homesick—returned to Western Australia.

Hughes was captain-coach of North Perth Cricket Club for the 1975–76 season.

He finally broke into the Western Australian team in November 1975, making his first-class debut against New South Wales at the WACA Ground.

In an innings described by New South Wales bowler Dave Hourn as the "best and most dynamic innings" he had seen in first-class cricket, Hughes continually stepped down the pitch to hit the bowling, even to the pace bowling of Len Pascoe.

He captained Australia in 28 Test matches between 1979 and 1984 before captaining a rebel Australian team in a tour of South Africa, a country which at the time was subject to a sporting boycott opposing apartheid.

A right-handed batsman, Hughes was seen to possess an orthodox and attractive batting style.

He was identified as a potential Test cricketer from an early age, but his impetuous style of batting, and personality clashes with influential teammates and opponents such as Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh, saw a later introduction to first-class and Test cricket than anticipated.

During the split between the establishment Australian Cricket Board and the breakaway World Series Cricket, Hughes stayed with the establishment.

Hughes' captaincy record with Australia was hindered by a succession of matches being played away from home (just eight of his 28 Tests while captain were played in Australia) and the necessity to rebuild an inexperienced team after the frequent absence, and later the retirement, of several senior players.

Placed under extreme pressure by the media and former teammates during a series of losses to the then dominant cricket team in the world, West Indies, Hughes resigned from the captaincy, making an emotional and tearful speech.

He finished his career playing cricket in South Africa.

After his playing career, Hughes for a time acted as the chairman of selectors for the Western Australian Cricket Association, and is an occasional commentator for ABC Radio's cricket coverage.