Aussie batsman Phil Hughes believes his six-week stint at Middlesex has provided him the perfect preparation ahead of Ashes.

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

The 20-year-old opener arrived back in Australia on Friday 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 aquatinted with English conditions ahead of the Ashes which begin on July 8.

"Preparation has been great"

And after Hughes' prolific run scoring, 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.

Some concerns over Hughes

There had been some concern in Australia that by going to Middlesex Hughes has given the English bowlers a chance to dissect his technique but the left-hander - who impressed as much for his unorthodox strokeplay - brushed off such thoughts.

"The thing was I wanted to spend as much time as I could in the middle," he said.

"I went over there to help guys around me win games of cricket and that's the big thing I wanted to do. I just wanted to contribute in that way, so it doesn't matter about those guys seeing me bat in the middle."

The debate about whether English counties should sign Australian players in an Ashes year was set to intensify further with reports today that Gloucestershire have agreed a two-match deal with paceman Stuart Clark.

The New South Welshman is in need of match practice ahead of the Ashes after a long injury lay-off following elbow surgery.

Clark returned to Australia's squad for the limited overs series against Pakistan in United Arab Emirates earlier this month, while he has also been playing in grade cricket in Sydney.

Gloucestershire have so far failed to confirm the deal, however, their chief executive Tom Richardson recently told BBC Radio Bristol: "Stuart's someone that, were he to be available, we'd be very keen to get him to come and play."