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West Australian Kim Hughes will always be remembered as the man who
cried when he gave up the Australian captaincy, but it would be unfair
to look on his career as some kind of tragedy. He played many fine
innings for his country, not least the 117 and 84 he scored in the
Centenary Test at Lord's when he peppered the pavilion with a series of
sixes. It is true that the politics of cricket played cruelly with Kim
Hughes career. He came into an Australian side where most of his
team-mates had signed contracts to play in the privately promoted World
Series and the Ashes tour of 1977 with its rows and threats of court
actions provided no kind of atmosphere for a young batsman trying to
make his way. Soon he found himself playing the role of senior batsman
in a team of no-hopers.
Then, whenever he seemed to be settling in as
Australian captain, Greg Chappell would return from retirement and take
the reins back again. Other frustrating things happened on the field,
not least the Ashes series of 1981 when Australia were comfortably
ahead. Hughes had made 89 as Australia topped 400 at Headingley and all
was rosey. Two days later an elemental force called Botham had tipped
the series on its head. Hughes captained Australia in 28 Tests and in
the 1983 World Cup. He scored 129 in the first Test of Mike Brearley's
Ashes tour of 1978-79 and 100 in Madras the next winter. He kept his
place when the World Series players returned in 1979-80, scoring 130 not
out against West Indies in Perth and 99 against England. He made 213
against West Indies in Adelaide. He played with Natal in later years.
His brother played for Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield. (Bob Harragan)
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