AUSTRALIA batsman Phil Hughes believes his six-week stint at Middlesex has given him the perfect preparation ahead of his first Ashes campaign.

The 20-year-old opener arrived back in Australia yesterday after plundering four centuries during his brief spell with the English county and admitted: “It couldn’t have really worked out any better”.

Middlesex have come in for criticism for signing Hughes, who had never played in England before, and allowing him the chance to get acquainted with conditions ahead of the Ashes, which begin on July 8.

And after Hughes’ prolific runscoring, he scored 574 runs at an average of 143.50 in three LV County Championship games, those concerns have seemingly been vindicated.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it and the preparation has been great to be honest,” Hughes told reporters after arriving back in Sydney.

“I think the big thing that came out of it was that I played at three Test grounds I’m going to be playing on and got to experience them before this big series coming up.

“Lord’s was obviously my home ground there for Middlesex and I played at the Oval as well and Edgbaston. It couldn’t have really worked out any better.

“The big thing was just going over there to experience the whole different culture really, the weather, the wickets and the bowlers as well.”

Hughes has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence on the international stage this year after earning his Test cap for Australia on their tour of South Africa in February.

After making a duck in his first Test innings, he followed that with a score of 75.

He served real notice of his potential in the second Test victory at Durban when he scored back-to-back centuries as Australia clinched the series. Hughes finished with an average of 69.16.