During the Australian team's tour of England in 1899, Hill required surgery to remove a growth in his nose.
The after-effects of the operation were more serious than expected; Hill lost an alarming amount of weight and strength and missed around half of the tour.
Before this, Hill was recognised by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as the best of the Australian batsmen that English summer.
He scored 301 runs in three Tests at an average of 60.20, and was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
His best performance of the series was in the Second Test at Lord's.
Hill scored 135, sharing a partnership of 82 with Victor Trumper, who was playing only his second Test match.
Trumper went on to score 135 not out.
Hill, who was dropped by Ranjitsinhji fielding at slip when he had made 119, batted for 4 hours and hit 17 boundaries.
Australia won the Test, the only one to have a definite result, by 10 wickets and retained the Ashes.

In 1900–01, Hill made a then record Sheffield Shield score for South Australia against New South Wales at the Adelaide Oval.
He batted for 8 hours and 35 minutes for 365, including 35 boundaries.
The record stood for 27 years until beaten by Bill Ponsford.
Hill averaged more than 100 runs for the season.
England returned to contest the Ashes in 1901–02, under the captaincy of Archie MacLaren.
The English team was weakened by the unavailability of players such as Ranjitsinhji, Hirst, C.B. Fry and Wilfred Rhodes.
The surprise selection was Sydney Barnes, who had played most of his cricket in the Lancashire League.
Repeating the result of the series three years earlier, Australia lost the First Test but won the next four comfortably to retain the Ashes.
Hill was the leading run scorer in the series, with 521 runs including 99, 98 and 97 in successive innings.
He is still the only person to achieve this most unusual feat.

Hill was the victim of bad luck during this sequence of scores between 90 and 99.
At Melbourne during the New Years Test he scored 99; the first time a batsman was dismissed one run short of a century in Test cricket.
In the first innings in the next Test in Adelaide, having scored 98, Hill was caught by Johnny Tyldesley who was standing on the bicycle track surrounding the oval.
Tyldesley attempted to call Hill back but Hill declined, saying the captains had agreed that the fence was the boundary, not the track.
Under modern laws, he would have been not out and the shot would count as six runs, allowing him his century.
In the second innings, Hill's poor luck continued.
He chopped down on a ball when 97 and then, to his horror, saw the ball rolling back towards his stumps.
He attempted to hit the ball away from the stumps but accidentally knocked the leg bail and was out, bowled.
The English writer, Simon Wilde, has described this sequence as an "unparalleled spell of nonagenarians' neurosis".

Hill visited England for a third time in 1902 with the Australian team who won their fourth successive Test series.
In the process the Australians "beat the records of all their predecessors in the country" by losing only two of 39 matches during the tour.
For the second time, Hill scored more than 1,000 runs in an English summer; 1,534 at an average of 31.95 including four centuries.
Rain affected the first two Test matches at Edgbaston and Lord's and both teams moved to Sheffield without a win.

The Third Test, the only Test match played at Bramall Lane, saw Hill play one of his finest innings on a poorly prepared pitch that made batting difficult.
Australia batted first and could only score 194, Barnes taking 6 wickets for 49 runs.
In return Monty Noble and Jack Saunders bowled England out for 145 and Australia led by 49 runs on the first innings.
When Reggie Duff was dismissed in the second innings, Hill joined Trumper at the wicket.
The pair scored 60 runs in half an hour before Trumper was out, caught by the wicket-keeper.
He was followed quickly by the captain, Darling, out for a duck.
Syd Gregory was the next batsman and with Hill added 107 runs in only 67 minutes.
In semi-darkness and
During the Australian team's tour of England in 1899, Hill required surgery to remove a growth in his nose. The after-effects of the operation were more serious than expected; Hill lost an alarming amount of weight and strength and missed around half of the tour. Before this, Hill was recognised by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as the best of the Australian batsmen that English summer. He scored 301 runs in three Tests at an average of 60.20, and was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. His best performance of the series was in the Second Test at Lord's. Hill scored 135, sharing a partnership of 82 with Victor Trumper, who was playing only his second Test match. Trumper went on to score 135 not out. Hill, who was dropped by Ranjitsinhji fielding at slip when he had made 119, batted for 4 hours and hit 17 boundaries. Australia won the Test, the only one to have a definite result, by 10 wickets and retained the Ashes.
In 1900–01, Hill made a then record Sheffield Shield score for South Australia against New South Wales at the Adelaide Oval. He batted for 8 hours and 35 minutes for 365, including 35 boundaries. The record stood for 27 years until beaten by Bill Ponsford. Hill averaged more than 100 runs for the season. England returned to contest the Ashes in 1901–02, under the captaincy of Archie MacLaren. The English team was weakened by the unavailability of players such as Ranjitsinhji, Hirst, C.B. Fry and Wilfred Rhodes. The surprise selection was Sydney Barnes, who had played most of his cricket in the Lancashire League. Repeating the result of the series three years earlier, Australia lost the First Test but won the next four comfortably to retain the Ashes. Hill was the leading run scorer in the series, with 521 runs including 99, 98 and 97 in successive innings. He is still the only person to achieve this most unusual feat.
Hill was the victim of bad luck during this sequence of scores between 90 and 99. At Melbourne during the New Years Test he scored 99; the first time a batsman was dismissed one run short of a century in Test cricket. In the first innings in the next Test in Adelaide, having scored 98, Hill was caught by Johnny Tyldesley who was standing on the bicycle track surrounding the oval. Tyldesley attempted to call Hill back but Hill declined, saying the captains had agreed that the fence was the boundary, not the track. Under modern laws, he would have been not out and the shot would count as six runs, allowing him his century. In the second innings, Hill's poor luck continued. He chopped down on a ball when 97 and then, to his horror, saw the ball rolling back towards his stumps. He attempted to hit the ball away from the stumps but accidentally knocked the leg bail and was out, bowled. The English writer, Simon Wilde, has described this sequence as an "unparalleled spell of nonagenarians' neurosis".
Hill visited England for a third time in 1902 with the Australian team who won their fourth successive Test series. In the process the Australians "beat the records of all their predecessors in the country" by losing only two of 39 matches during the tour. For the second time, Hill scored more than 1,000 runs in an English summer; 1,534 at an average of 31.95 including four centuries. Rain affected the first two Test matches at Edgbaston and Lord's and both teams moved to Sheffield without a win.
The Third Test, the only Test match played at Bramall Lane, saw Hill play one of his finest innings on a poorly prepared pitch that made batting difficult. Australia batted first and could only score 194, Barnes taking 6 wickets for 49 runs. In return Monty Noble and Jack Saunders bowled England out for 145 and Australia led by 49 runs on the first innings. When Reggie Duff was dismissed in the second innings, Hill joined Trumper at the wicket. The pair scored 60 runs in half an hour before Trumper was out, caught by the wicket-keeper. He was followed quickly by the captain, Darling, out for a duck. Syd Gregory was the next batsman and with Hill added 107 runs in only 67 minutes. In semi-darkness and 
Clem Hill