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Phil Hughes - Source: Reuters
Phillip Hughes' Ashes tour is in danger of spiralling out of control following his latest failure in Australia's tour match against a weakened Northamptonshire side on Friday.
The young opener fell for ten at Wantage Road to county journeyman David Wigley off a ball that lifted off the pitch and caught the shoulder of his bat and ballooned to gully.
Australia were 3-231 at stumps on a rain-affected day one with acting skipper Mike Hussey (75no) and Marcus North (32no) unbeaten after Shane Watson (84) seized his opportunity with a knock of authority.
Hughes' dismissal continued a worrying trend for the left-hander of losing his wicket against the rising ball following his flying start to his Test career in South Africa earlier this year.
In fairness to Hughes, the ball that dismissed him earlier on was a good delivery.
The short of a length ball climbed a bit but Hughes desperately needed time in the middle and he has now failed to make a half century in his last six bats.
He has scored 175 runs at 21.87 on tour with his top score of 78 coming in the opening practice match at Hove a month ago.
His departure brought Australia's back-up batsman Watson to the crease and he quickly hit his straps against a Northamptonshire side missing its top five players.
Watson hit 15 fours in his return from injury in a knock that was regularly interrupted by rain.
He and Simon Katich (25) moved the score along to 48 before David Willey, son of former English Test player Peter Willey, had the opener caught behind with a ball that moved away from him.
Watson is considered by the Australian team to be next in line if Hughes is unable to break out of his form slump.
But Watson's brief flirtation with opening for Queensland during the 2007-08 season was a disaster, he scored just 28 in six outings.
The other option at the top of the order is Hussey, who started his Test career as an opener and is very familiar with the position.
There were only two overs bowled in the middle session before rain again stopped play.
Watson tried to make up for lost time after tea and brought up his fifty off 71 balls with a thumping cover drive off Willey.
Brooks should have run out Hussey off a suicidal single in his follow through soon afterwards but he slipped and missed the opportunity.
Watson then took to seamer David Lucas, peeling 20 runs off an over in an impressive display of power hitting before falling in sight of a hundred to spinner Graeme White.
Hussey and North then settled in before bad light ended play late in the day.
Scoreboard at stumps on day one of Australia's three-day practice match against Northamptonshire
Australia 1st Innings:
P Hughes c Wakely b Wigley 10
S Katich c O'Brien b Willey 25
S Watson c O'Brien b White 84
M Hussey not
out
75
M Northnot
out
32
Sundries
(5lb)
5
Three wickets for
231
Fall: 18 (Hughes), 48 (Katich), 147 (Watson)
Bowling: Wigley 14-2-59-1, Lucas 9-3-30-0, Brooks 12.1-2-51-0,
Willey 12-1-38-1, White 13-1-48-1.
Batting Time: 235mins
Overs: 60.1
