Simon Hughes (cricketer)

Simon Peter Hughes (born 20 December 1959), also known as The Analyst is an English cricketer and journalist.

Background

He is the son of the actor Peter Hughes, and the brother of the classical historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes.

Cricket career

At Latymer Upper School he was an outstanding fast medium bowler of away-swing and captained the school XI successfully. He went on to study general arts at Durham University, and played for the university.

He joined Middlesex in 1980 and played for them for 12 seasons, culminating in his benefit season of 1991. He subsequently spent two seasons (1992–1993) playing for Durham. Hughes also played for Northern Transvaal in South Africa during the winter of 1982–83, and the Grafton United Cricket Club in Auckland in the 1987–1988 season.

Part of a successful Middlesex side, Hughes helped them win the County Championship in 1980, 1982, 1985 and 1990. Hughes also appeared in Middlesex victories in the finals of the Benson and Hedges Cup in 1986, the Refuge Assurance Cup in 1990, and the NatWest Trophy in 1984 and 1988. In the latter final he took 4-30, and he was often entrusted with bowling overs late on in the innings (sometimes called "death bowling") in limited-over cricket. He had a less happy experience in the final of the NatWest Trophy in 1989, bowling the last over as Middlesex were defeated by Warwickshire.

Journalism

Hughes retired in 1993 to concentrate on a writing career which had begun as a player for ''The Independent'' with the widely acclaimed Cricketer's Diary. In 1994 he joined ''The Daily Telegraph'' as a columnist and became the BBC's roving reporter on Test matches. He has worked as a journalist for ''The Independent'' and ''The Daily Telegraph'', for ''The Times'' and for the BBC
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