2ND TEST MATCH AUST V STH. AFRICA AT THE MCG

[am Bays]

Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath, Michael Clarke, all early 20 debutants. There's no reason why they shouldn't give Hughes a go.

wasnt the little master something more like 16?

Nah 17 I'll think you find, made a ton on the old WACA at 18 in 1992.

made his debut about teh same time as his fellow young gun Vinod Kambli who by the age of 24 was on the international scrap heap. So for for every success story at being debuted at a young age their is at least one who did make it.

Give Hughes time no need to chuck him in too early. lets not turn him into another Gary Cosier or Ian Craig

[CoverKing]

Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath, Michael Clarke, all early 20 debutants. There's no reason why they shouldn't give Hughes a go.

wasnt the little master something more like 16?

Nah 17 I'll think you find, made a ton on the old WACA at 18 in 1992.

made his debut about teh same time as his fellow young gun Vinod Kambli who by the age of 24 was on the international scrap heap. So for for every success story at being debuted at a young age their is at least one who did make it.

Give Hughes time no need to chuck him in too early. lets not turn him into another Gary Cosier or Ian Craig

16 he was i think ul find

[rod_rooster]

Definitely 16 when Tendulkar played his first Test.

[CoverKing]

born april 24 1973
test debut v pakistan Nov 15-20 1989
ODI debut v pakistan Dec 18 1989

he debuted in 1988 in the indian first class level!!
bring in Hughes

[rod_rooster]

born april 24 1973
test debut v pakistan Nov 15-20 1989
ODI debut v pakistan Dec 18 1989

he debuted in 1988 in the indian first class level!!
bring in Hughes

LMAO, you are suggesting Hughes has anywhere near the ability of Tendulkar Hughes will be a very good player but lets not use the examples of the greatest players to hold a bat to justify why he should be in the side.

[CoverKing]

born april 24 1973
test debut v pakistan Nov 15-20 1989
ODI debut v pakistan Dec 18 1989

he debuted in 1988 in the indian first class level!!
bring in Hughes

LMAO, you are suggesting Hughes has anywhere near the ability of Tendulkar Hughes will be a very good player but lets not use the examples of the greatest players to hold a bat to justify why he should be in the side.

not suggesting that at all, i would be suprised if we see any player as good as tendulkar again!
i just threw the Hughes comment because he was not in the squad!

[NFC]

Bradman was turning world cricket on it's ear at 21. Just as well we didn't put limits on people's ages back then huh?

Some players mature quicker than others. Whilst some may not be up to it until 24-25, others are ready at 21. If Hughes is good enough, get him in.

Thanks AH I think you've proven my point. Previously, the evidence for the readiness of 20 year olds was Tendulkar and Lara ... now you add Bradman SAFooty hysteria over a new player reaches new heights.

(This is to NFC) ... wow, he scored a 100 and a 90 in the SAME match. Get him in the Test side quick! Do you realise how many guys in the history of the Sheffield Shield have scored heavily in State Cricket but not been able to step up to test cricket ... Yallop, Dyson, McCosker, Hookes all come quickly to mind. But you say Hughes is a "freak" because he makes a few Shield centuries? If he's a freak for scoring 600 runs what does that make Klinger who's made 300 more against the same bowlers.

None of us know if this bright prospect is ready. Maybe he is. But history says that very few guys are ready to step into Test Cricket with only one full season of first class cricket behind them. IF he's not ready, then we do more harm than good rushing him in, even though he looks very, very promising.

Hondo, that is a fantastic post. Well said. Hughes has enormous potential so why would we rush him into the side now? South Africa have a magnificent attack and picking him now could really dent his confidence and set him back for a long time. Sure guys like Bradman, Lara and Tendulkar started early but these are 3 of the best players of all time.

Man people are so ultra conservative. I'm sure Hughes would fail a fair bit at the start but he's a real confident kid who has a great head on his shoulders. Just listen to the interview that had on the Cricket Show, he's so sure of himself and is a future leader.

Hondo, mock me all you like for providing that example but when a 20 year old kid scores 200 runs BY HIMSELF in a team match total of about 350 runs then there's something seriously special with this kid. Some people develop quicker than others, and what I don't get is that the 3rd test is a dead rubber, Hayden is averaging something shocking for this series (and his past 3 series) so it's not as though we'd be losing anything if we replaced him with Hughes.

People are so scared of taking risks, taking a punt on youth. There will obviously be ups and downs early, but that's what a learning curve is all about. There was a sensational article on Baggygreen about this issue and how AB De Villiers debuted at 20, struggled, but they stuck with him knowing full well his potential and now look at him. They've got a gem of a player at 24. We're not prepared to do the same thing in case he fails.

[Rik E Boy]

A bit harsh on Graham Yallop hondo. Yallop's average is a healthy 41 with a high score of 268. He also went on to captain his country at a very difficult time.

GN YallopTests 39 Inns 70 Not out 3 Runs 2756 HS 268 Avg. 41.13

Also a little bit harsh on Rick McCosker who averaged nearly 40 at the top of the innings and scored four test centuries.

RB McCosker Tests 25 Inns 46 Not out 5 Runs 1622 HS 127 Avg. 39.56

regards,

REB

Yes you are right, I was a bit harsh. I was trying to point out players that, if you looked solely at their first class stats, you'd call "freaks" like Phil Hughes apparently is because he's scored 600 runs this season. "Freaks" who you'd therefore expect to have scored 8000+ test runs, yet finished their careers nowhere close.

I could replace them with a host of names like Geoff Moss, Robbie Kerr, Wayne Phillips, Dene Hills, Michael Bevan. No disrespect intended to this quality State players, however there is a huge difference between State cricket and Test cricket. Just because you rack up some big Shield stats is no guarantee you'll step up to the next level.

Hughes looks great, no question. But calm down on the expectations on the lad at age 20 is all I am promoting.

Robbie Kerr is perhaps the perfect example of what you are talking about hondo. Bevo also. Got sorted out by the short ones. You've got to remember that back in the days of Yallop et al not too many went on to score 8000 runs. Even Greg Chappell didn't do that.

regards,

REB