OTD| The tragic premature death of former Australian cricketer David Hookes happened in 2004

On this day former Australian cricketer David Hookes lost his life in a tragic incident. It was a big loss as Hookes had played for the Kangaroos in the past. His death was a moment of grief for the Australian fans because the middle order from South Australia had a considerable legacy in Australian cricket. 

Hookes stepped into international cricket in 1977 when he made his debut in Test cricket against the arch-rivals England at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. A few months later he also played his first One-Day international match against the same opposition. David Hookes was a well-known name before he made his debut in international cricket as he had an impressive track record in domestic cricket. 

Illustrious first-class career

David Hookes played 23 test matches for Australia where he scored 1306 runs at an average of 34.36. He also represented Australia in ODI cricket with 39 caps to his name in this format. Hookes did not have a long international career for Australia but the middle-order batter surely had an illustrious career in first-class cricket. 

Hookes played 178 first-class matches over his long career. The batter amassed 12671 runs at an average of 43.99. He smashed an impressive 32 centuries along with 65 half-centuries to his name. His best score in first-class cricket was an unbeaten 306 runs, which also shows the class of this player. 

The shorter format of the game was not his forte as he could not translate the performances in first-class cricket to List-A cricket. Hookes played 82 List-A matches scoring 2041 runs at an average of 27.58. He could only manage to score one century in his List-A career. 

David Hookes bid farewell to international cricket in 1986 against India at Brisbane which was an ODI game. However, he continued to play first-class cricket and eventually hung up his boots in 1992. He died a premature death but his contributions will always stay alive.