Mervyn Gregory Hughes was a formidable right-arm fast bowler, he represented Australia between 1985 and 1994 in 53 Test matches, taking 212 wickets and scoring over 1000 runs. He played 33 One Day Internationals, taking 38 wickets. He took a hat trick in a Test against the West Indies at the WACA in 1988-89 and went on to take 8-87. In 1993 he took 31 wickets in the Ashes Series against England. He was a useful lower-order batsman, scoring two half-centuries in tests.
The main teams he played for were: the Victorian Bushrangers, Essex (in English county cricket), Australian Capital Territory, Australia 'A' (in the World Series Cup), and Australia.
Hughes' physical presence (he was a burly 6'4"), walrus moustache, his penchant for exuberant displays of affection for his fellow players (they called him "Fruitfly"), and a mincing run-up that stretched at times to 45 paces, all helped make him a firm favourite amongst spectators. In England on his second Ashes tour in 1993, the crowd chanted "Sumo" whenever he ran into bowl.
Hughes bowls Gooch out, first Ashes test, 1993, but is not credited with the wicket
Hughes started his career playing district cricket with Footscray in 1978-79. He was selected for Victoria in 1981-82 and made his debut against South Australia. Hughes first appeared for Australia against India in 1985-1986. He took 1-123 and was not re-selected until the Ashes Series against England the following year.
At Perth in 1988-89 Merv Hughes completed a 'complicated' hat trick in three different overs. He had Curtly Ambrose caught behind with the last ball of one over, ended West Indies' first innings by removing Patrick Patterson with his first ball of the next and more than a day later completed his hat-trick by trapping Gordon Greenidge lbw with the first ball of West Indies' second innings.
Hughes’ unusual hat trick against the Windies
The Australian selectors always viewed Hughes as a Test match player rather than one-day player, and he was generally only selected for the shorter game when another player was injured or otherwise unavailable. Hughes played his last Test in Cape Town against South Africa in 1994.
Late in his career Hughes undertook an ambitious stint with the Canberra Comets which turned out to be hugely unsuccessful. He claimed only five wickets at an average of 46.80 over six matches (Rodney Davidson, Jimmy Maher, Jamie Cox, Shaun Young, and Ryan Campbell).
"Big Merv" was a notorious consumer of alcohol and food. Towards the end of his career, this was felt to have increased damage to his knees and may have ultimately led to a shortening of his Australian and Victorian playing careers. Having always been rather overweight, he participated in both seasons of Channel Nine's Celebrity Overhaul to lose weight and improve his fitness. He was the top performer (weight-wise) in the first season of the show.
Hughes is a prominent supporter of the Western Bulldogs Australian Football League team. Hughes has also done a little acting, portraying "Ivan" in the movie comedy Fat Pizza. Hughes replaced Allan Border in June 2005 as a selector for the Australian cricket team.
The main teams he played for were: the Victorian Bushrangers, Essex (in English county cricket), Australian Capital Territory, Australia 'A' (in the World Series Cup), and Australia.
Hughes' physical presence (he was a burly 6'4"), walrus moustache, his penchant for exuberant displays of affection for his fellow players (they called him "Fruitfly"), and a mincing run-up that stretched at times to 45 paces, all helped make him a firm favourite amongst spectators. In England on his second Ashes tour in 1993, the crowd chanted "Sumo" whenever he ran into bowl.
Hughes bowls Gooch out, first Ashes test, 1993, but is not credited with the wicket
Hughes started his career playing district cricket with Footscray in 1978-79. He was selected for Victoria in 1981-82 and made his debut against South Australia. Hughes first appeared for Australia against India in 1985-1986. He took 1-123 and was not re-selected until the Ashes Series against England the following year.
At Perth in 1988-89 Merv Hughes completed a 'complicated' hat trick in three different overs. He had Curtly Ambrose caught behind with the last ball of one over, ended West Indies' first innings by removing Patrick Patterson with his first ball of the next and more than a day later completed his hat-trick by trapping Gordon Greenidge lbw with the first ball of West Indies' second innings.
Hughes’ unusual hat trick against the Windies
The Australian selectors always viewed Hughes as a Test match player rather than one-day player, and he was generally only selected for the shorter game when another player was injured or otherwise unavailable. Hughes played his last Test in Cape Town against South Africa in 1994.
Late in his career Hughes undertook an ambitious stint with the Canberra Comets which turned out to be hugely unsuccessful. He claimed only five wickets at an average of 46.80 over six matches (Rodney Davidson, Jimmy Maher, Jamie Cox, Shaun Young, and Ryan Campbell).
"Big Merv" was a notorious consumer of alcohol and food. Towards the end of his career, this was felt to have increased damage to his knees and may have ultimately led to a shortening of his Australian and Victorian playing careers. Having always been rather overweight, he participated in both seasons of Channel Nine's Celebrity Overhaul to lose weight and improve his fitness. He was the top performer (weight-wise) in the first season of the show.
Hughes is a prominent supporter of the Western Bulldogs Australian Football League team. Hughes has also done a little acting, portraying "Ivan" in the movie comedy Fat Pizza. Hughes replaced Allan Border in June 2005 as a selector for the Australian cricket team.
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