David Hookes
His international career got off to a sensational start in the Centenary Test at Melbourne in 1977 when he hit England captain Tony Greig for five consecutive boundaries, but a combination of circumstances ensured that he never became a regular in the Australian team.
He wrote in his autobiography, "I suspect history will judge me harshly as a batsman because of my modest record in 23 Tests and I can't complain about that".
[1] For many years, he was a leading figure in Australian domestic cricket, most notably in his role as captain of South Australia (SA).
[1] Angered by Victorian captain Graham Yallop's late declaration in a Sheffield Shield match at the Adelaide Oval in October 1982, Hookes, who normally batted at number 3 or 4, promoted himself to opening batsman and proceeded to score a century from 34 balls in just 43 minutes (including 18 fours and two sixes), at the time the fastest century scored in first-class cricket.
An outspoken man who had several brushes with the game's officials, Hookes retired at the end of the 1991–92 season and pursued his media career.
He died after being punched by a hotel bouncer outside a pub where he had been drinking with Victorian players following their victory in a match earlier in the day.
When he came in to bat he faced Adelaide Cricket Club bowler and local Australian rules football and media personality Ken "KG" Cunningham.
KG said later in a Channel 9 tribute to Hookes that after the first two balls went past the edge of the bat, he walked down the wicket and attempted to upset the youngster in his first game and "gave him a huge spray".
In later years KG became one of Hookes's close friends and on Adelaide television and radio one of his strongest supporters even after his move to Melbourne to become coach of the Victorian state side.
A rush of form in February 1977, when he scored five centuries from six innings in 17 days, led to his selection for the Centenary Test in March, 1977, at the age of 21.
In a Supertest at the Sydney Showground in 1977, a bouncer from Andy Roberts broke his jaw, and his confidence never fully recovered from the injury.
Returned to fitness, he toured Pakistan in 1980, but made a pair in the first Test at Karachi, dismissed twice by spin bowler Iqbal Qasim.
Improved confidence and form led to his reinstatement in the Australian team for the 1982–83 Ashes series, and he batted consistently for 344 runs at 49.14 average with a best score of 68 in the fourth Test at Melbourne.
Frustrated by Hookes's failure to turn regular starts into big scores, the Australian selectors ignored him for the next 18 months.
Despite his failure to live up to expectations at the highest level, Hookes continued to captain South Australia until 1990, when he was sensationally sacked.
Hookes and Wicket-keeper Phillips, both left-handed batsmen, broke the previous first-class partnership record of 456 set by Victorian pair Bill Ponsford and Edgar Mayne in the 1923–24 season against Queensland at the MCG.
[10] Hookes also formed a devastating partnership with fellow South Australian left-hander Darren Lehmann, the pair often entertaining spectators at the Adelaide Oval in Shield matches with their attacking play.
[15] At the time of his death he had been in a two-year relationship with Christine Padfield, then marketing coordinator at Cricket Victoria,[15] who was present when he died.
