Why Daniel Hughes could be the unluckiest player in Australian cricket
The run-scoring machine hasn't been able to get a look in at international level.
Is Daniel Hughes Australia's unluckiest cricket player? The NSW opener has scored 11 centuries in 46 domestic one-day games – equal third-best behind Brad Hodge (20) and Michael Klinger (12) - amassed 2515 runs at an average nudging 60 and reaches at least 50 at a rate of one in every two matches.
Yet the NSW opener has continually been overlooked for national selection in Australia's ODI side. Since Hughes debuted for the Blues in 2013, 51 players have gone on to represent Australia in ODI cricket.
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The consistent left-hander hasn't even been able to crack it for a look-in when selectors rest their big names and ship in the next-tier players for the countless 50-over games played here and overseas. Given Hughes turns 35 on Friday – and despite the fact he averages a ton every four innings - the door appears shut tight.
'Not too late' for Daniel Hughes to debut for Australia
But based on pure stats, he at least deserves to be in the conversation despite being closer to the end of his career than the start. Asked if Hughes would go down as the country's unluckiest cricketer should he not gain national selection at some stage, NSW skipper Moises Henriques told Yahoo Sport Australia: "I completely agree with that.
"But I still don’t think it’s too late for him. I'm not ruling out the chance it might happen. If they feel like they need another anchor, that's where Daniel maybe comes in.
"He's not going to do what Glenn Maxwell or Davey Warner or Tim David can do, but what he will do is produce a great deal of consistency and be a very good anchor for those people around him to thrive. He makes one-day batting look very easy. It’s that clarity he bats with, that calmness. He rarely gets flustered in any situation.
"He's been doing this in one-day cricket for quite some time now. He has to score 60 just to be on par with his average, so that tells you a little bit about his record. I'd be surprised if there's anyone in the history of Australian domestic one-day cricket with a better 100 percentage."
NSW into Marsh Cup final after latest Daniel Hughes ton
Hughes' century against Victoria on Wednesday helped propel NSW into the Marsh Cup final against Western Australia at Cricket Central on March 25. "I've been playing in that era where I've been lucky enough to open the batting for NSW and play on some really nice wickets," he said this week.
"I've never really thought too much about those stats. (Opening) is the best time to bat. If you can get through the first 10 overs when that ball's new and swinging and nipping around, you've got to cash in. That's what I've been trying to do and thankfully enough it's worked out 11 times."
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