Sydney, Aug 5: Australian opening batsman Phillip Hughes is hoping that his stint with Hampshire will help him regain a place in the Test team ahead of the tour of India and the Ashes.
After a successful domestic season, Hughes was almost certain to be included for the tour of England to face Pakistan, but he was ruled out for three months after dislocating his shoulder during a boxing training session.
The 21-year-old will join Hampshire this month, and will be available for a match against Lancashire on 31 August.
“I had surgery on my left shoulder about three months ago and the rehab has been fantastic and the shoulder feels good,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Hughes, as saying.
“It has been a frustrating little period for me, watching my mates play in England, but everything is on track now to getting back in the centre and playing some good, hard, cricket,” he added.
Hughes said that he will not be using boxing training any more, and denied that the injury would change his technique.
“I have always done boxing training and I love it. Maybe I will continue it again one day, but just not yet,” Hughes said.
“I will continue to bat how I have always batted. I have tinkered with a few things, but I don’t want to change my natural game,” he added.
Hughes burst on to the international scene with two hundreds in his second Test, against South Africa in March last year, but was dropped after two Tests of the subsequent Ashes series in England due to his inability to cope with England’s pace attack.
© ANI
