Phillip Joel Hughes (born November 30, 1988 in Macksville, New South Wales) is an exciting young Australian cricketer. A left-handed opening batsman who is widely considered to be one of the most promising prospects in Australian cricket, Phillip made his Test debut at the age of 20 after just two seasons with New South Wales.

Phillip started his cricket career for the Macksville Cricket Club, where he excelled so quickly that he was playing A-Grade by the age of 12. At the age of 17, Hughes relocated to Sydney to play for Western Suburbs District Cricket Club in Sydney Grade Cricket while he attended Homebush Boys High. He scored 141 not out on his grade debut and enjoyed a solid debut season scoring 752 runs at an average of 35.81 with a highest score of 142 not out. He represented Australia at the Under-19s World Cup in 2007.

"G'day, my name is Phillip Hughes and I'm an ambassador for the 'Families Needing Farmers' campaign. I'm going to do all I can to help to bridge the divide between city folk and the farm.

I was born and raised in the small northern New South Wales coastal town of Macksville. As the son of a banana farmer, I know exactly what it's like to live on a farm. I can't think of any place better to grow up - take one step outside the door, and you're in the ultimate kid's playground. There is so much space to play whatever games you can dream of. Actually, I think if I hadn't been raised on a farm, I wouldn't be the cricketer I am today.

When I was growing up, our backyard was so big that when I was playing cricket with my friends and one of us hit the clothesline, it was automatically 25 runs and if we hit it on the full, it was 50. The side fence was two runs on the bounce or roll, on the full was four, the back fence was four, on the full on the back fence was six and the chook pen was six.

Although I moved from Macksville to Sydney at the age of 17, I don't consider myself a city boy. You can take me out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of me!

I visit my parents' farm as often as I can. Because that is, and always will be, where home is for me. Whenever my father needs help on his 12ha banana farm, you can find me lugging or cutting banana bunches from the tree with a machette.

When I retire from playing cricket and if all goes to plan, I want to run a stud cattle farm with my father. We've already started with 15 head of cattle and plan to increase it year by year. Hopefully we'll have a pretty big property by the time I retire. That's my dream".