Drawing on almost 100 interviews and featuring scores of images from the Hughes family's personal collection, this is a stirring biography about the life of Phillip son, brother, friend, farmer, cricketer, inspiration. Phillip Hughes gave his life to cricket. And cricket gave Phillip Hughes his life. When Hughes scored twin centuries in his second Test - the youngest man in cricket's 135-year history to achieve the feat - the world hailed the arrival of a brilliant new star. Here was a batting prodigy from a tiny country town with a twinkle in his eye and a wizardry with the willow to fill the dreams of a generation. But those dreams were lost in November 2014 when Hughes was felled, playing the game he loved. Told through the voices of those who knew him best, Phillip The Official Biography is the incredible story of the boy from Macksville who became Australian Test cricketer 408. It charts the folkloric rise of the banana grower's son with the axe-handle batting technique, reliving his adventures on and off the field and celebrating his many triumphs and travails. And it pays tribute to the fighting spirit and gift for friendship that made this unique young man a hero to millions.
Author
Malcolm Knox was born in 1966. He grew up in Sydney and studied in Sydney and Scotland, where his one-act play, POLEMARCHUS, was performed in St Andrews and Edinburgh. He has worked for the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD since 1994 and his journalism has been published in Australia, Britain, India and the West Indies. His first novel Summerland was published to great acclaim in the UK, US, Australia and Europe in 2000. In 2001 Malcolm was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Australian novelists. He lives in Sydney with his wife Wenona, son Callum and daughter Lilian. His most recent novel, A Private Man, was critically acclaimed and was shortlisted for the Commomwealth Prize and the Tasmanian Premier’s Award.
