Ponting remembers 'infectious' Hughes on death anniversary

As the first death anniversary of former Australian batsman Phillip Hughes nears, former skipper Ricky Ponting has paid tribute to the late cricketer, saying that he will miss his 'infectious personality'.

Ponting, who led Australia to the World Cup glory in 2003 and 2007, admitted that Hughes was born to make runs and his record was quite remarkable.

The former captain said he still remembers the words uttered by Hughes during his first series-'mate, I'm loving every moment of this', News.com.au reported.

Hughes had smashed 14 boundaries in his brilliant knock of 112 in his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in January 2013.

Reflecting on his performance, Ponting said that the opening batsman would have been scoring runs all around the world if he would have present right now.

Ponting further admired Hughes for showing courage to move to South Australia from NSW in domestic cricket.

Hughes succumbed to injuries on November 27 last year after being struck by a bouncer during a domestic match in Sydney. The 25-year-old South Australian batsman was knocked out after the ball made impact under his helmet, on the back of the neck.