STAR batsman Phil Hughes is not ruling out a return to Worcestershire next season for a second campaign as the club’s overseas player.

The 23-year-old left-hander, who is averaging just under 47 in first-class cricket this season, has been by far and away Worcestershire’s best batsman this term.

The former Australian Test opener has also dominated for the County in one-day cricket, averaging 100.5 in the Friends Life t20 and 83 in the Clydesdale Bank 40.

Despite this impressive input, the New Road side have still struggled to make an impact in any format of the game.

However, Hughes admits he has loved his short spell with the club and is eager to play more English county cricket in the future — but stopped short of saying he’ll return to Worcester.

He said: “I haven’t looked ahead to what I’ll be doing next year yet – what I do know is that 12 months is a long time in cricket.

“In a few weeks time, I’ll be back playing cricket for South Australia and I can’t wait to get there, but I am not going to look too far ahead.

“For sure, I’d like to play more seasons in English county cricket — I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve played for three different counties now and it’s something I really enjoy, but I’m not sure what I’ll be doing yet.”

Hughes added: “I’ve loved my first season here at Worcester — everyone at the club has made me feel very welcome and a part of it, which is an important factor.

“Bumpy (director of cricket Steve Rhodes ) has given me free reign to play my natural game and, on a personal note, it has been good to get a few scores under my belt but, on a team basis, it has been quite an up-and-down season.

“We’ve played some very good short-form cricket in the Twenty20 — there’s still a fair bit of work to do in the longer format, but there are still a couple of games to go.

“I’ve enjoyed all of the English counties I’ve played for, but this one is a really tight-knit group. Worcester is quite a small area, all the guys get on really well and the coaching staff have been good too.

“On my first time here I was London-based, which was very different, but it is good to experience different places around the world and English conditions. One thing I know is the wicket here is very different to Australian conditions and that can only be good for my game.

“It’s been nice to get runs. I didn’t have the best of Australian summers last year so, coming over here, the main focus was to get as many runs as possible and it has been quite a consistent year for me with Worcestershire.

“I think the most satisfying thing is that I’ve scored runs in all three forms of the game. Sometimes it can be tough when you are playing a one-dayer, then going straight into a four-dayer or a Twenty20 the next day. It can be tough to adapt.”