Golden Boy

Kim Hughes was one of the most majestic and daring batsmen to play for Australia in the last 40 years. His rise and fall as captain and player is unparalleled in Australian cricketing history. He played at least three innings that count as all-time classics, but it is his tearful resignation from the captaincy that is remembered. In Hughes’ character were the seeds of his own destruction. Yet was his fall partly due to those around him, men who are themselves legends in Australian cricketing history? Lillee, Marsh, the Chappells, all had their agendas, all were unhappy with his selection and performance as captain. Hughes’ arrival on the Test scene coincided with the most turbulent time in Australian cricket – first Kerry Packer’s World Series, then the rebel tours to South Africa. Both had dramatic effects on Hughes’ career. Chris Ryan sheds new and fascinating light on the cricket – and the cricketers – of the times.

Author Biography

Christian Ryan was the founding editor of the national current affairs magazine The Monthly. He has edited Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack Australia, Inside Edge magazine, Wisden Cricket Monthly and has worked as a journalist with The Guardian newspaper.