Ponting, Taylor pitch for Hughes inclusion in series against Windies

Hyderabad, Nov 6 : Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and former captain Mark Taylor have said that New South opener Phillip Hughes could re-ignite his Test career during the series against West Indies.

The endorsements follow support from chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch ahead of the first Test against the West Indies at the Gabba on November 26.

“It was obviously a tough call to leave him out during the Ashes series. He will be back. It is just a matter of when,” Fox Sports quoted Ponting, as saying.

“He will definitely be in the mix for the Test matches. It will be a really tough selection for the summer. I think we all saw he was going to be a long-term player for us with his debut in South Africa,” he added.

While, Taylor said that the 20-year-old is the logical Test partner for Simon Katich, as he has a great technique.

“I would definitely like to see Phil Hughes force his way back into the (Test) side. Yes he has his limitations in terms of his technique, but he is such a good striker of the ball and has very much his own style,” Taylor said.

“Shane Watson and Simon Katich come back to potentially open the batting for New South Wales and you have Phil Hughes and Phil Jaques wanting to open the batting as well. It is going to be a tough one,” he added.

Hughes was Australia''s youngest Test debutant since fast bowler Craig McDermott, but Taylor said that he has shown maturity in the games that he has played, which is a major asset.

“There is no doubt he has very good mental approach to the game and if he can make some runs in the near future he will force his way back into the side pretty quickly,” Taylor said.

--ANI