By Martin Gough

Hookes was in his second season coaching Victoria

David Hookes was once considered Australian cricket's golden boy, a potential successor to Bradman.

In the end he appeared in just 23 Tests, making 1306 runs at an average of 34.36 with a single Test century.

But the statistics tell only half the story of one of Australia's more exciting batsmen - his failure to live up to expectations at the highest level.

As a state batsman he was one of the finest, the Victoria side he coached led the league at his death, and he was also one of the most outspoken commentators on the game.

Hookes was just 21, and fresh from his debut first-class century for South Australia, when he was called into the Australia side for the Centenary Test against England.

One hundred years after the first ever Test, the action at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was frenzied and the young left-hander was in the middle of it.

DAVID WILLIAM HOOKES Born: 3 May 1955, Adelaide Died: 19 January 2004, Melbourne Batting Style: Left Hand Bat Tests: 23 Debut: Aus v Eng at Melbourne, Only Test, 1976/77 1306 runs at 34.36, best 143no ODIs: 39 Debut: Aus v Eng at Manchester, 1977 826 runs at 24.29, best 76

He launched his international career with a half-century which included five boundaries off a single over from England captain Tony Greig.

Greig was obviously impressed because the ringleader for Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket soon had the fresh-faced batsman signed to a contract.

Opening the floodgates to professionalism, the rebel WSC needed poster boys to push its new brand of cricket, and Hookes fitted the bill with his blond hair and rugged good looks.

Offered an extra signing bonus so that he could move forward his wedding, Hookes signed readily.

The new cover star told an interviewer from Woman's Weekly: "There's a lot of luck in this game and you take it when you can."

He showed us all - and in particular me - how good a player he was Tony Greig More reaction

But his luck did not last long. In one of the most enduring moments in the World Series, the Australian's jaw was broken by West Indies pace bowler Andy Roberts in the second match.

Some have reasoned Hookes lost confidence after the incident, although he hit a century against the West Indian side a year later.

Perhaps he was simply too young to be thrown into a competition reckoned by many to be tougher than Test cricket, with little opportunity to hone technique in lesser matches.

He admitted his regret at having missed an official Test tour of spin-friendly India because he was playing against pace-dominated Packer sides.

LEADING DOMESTIC SCORERS Darren Lehmann: 11106 at 53.39 Jamie Siddons: 10643 at 44.71 Jamie Cox: 10338 at 40.22 Dean Jones: 9622 at 54.05 David Hookes: 9364 at 47.77

Hookes played sporadically in Tests and 39 one-day internationals until his retirement in 1992, with a century against Sri Lanka in 1983 his only major score.

But his 9364 runs rank him fifth on the list of scorers in Australia's first-class Sheffield Shield competition.

His century from 34 deliveries against Victoria in 1982 is the fastest authentic first-class hundred in terms of balls faced.

In his first year as coach last season, Victoria finished third, and they improved on that this term.

Hookes retained his high profile, though, as a radio pundit, often making pronouncements that captured the mood of the nation, if not administrators.

The revelations of Shane Warne's indiscretions with a South African woman involved the Victoria spinner being persecuted by a "dopey hairy-backed Sheila" according to Hookes.

"When they give out the baggy blue cap in NSW, they give you a baggy green to save making two presentations," he said recently as another Victoria player was passed over for a Test place.

Hookes the player may not have lived up to heavy early expectations, but Hookes' character guaranteed that he figured large in Australia's cricket community.