The cricket world was shocked on this day by the ghastly news of the death of the Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes. Cricket fans around the world had tears at the sight of the father of Phillip Hughes, along with Australian cricketers, carrying his son on his shoulders.
Deadly Blow
Phillip Hughes was taking part in a Sheffield Shield match for South Australia against New South Wales. On the first day of the test, Phillip Hughes was batting on 63 runs when he was hit on the neck by a short-pitched delivery from Sean Abbott who was bowling for New South Wales. Hughes tried to play a hook shot but could not make a proper connection with the ball which resulted in a fatal blow on his neck. He had the protection of a helmet but the ball hit an area that was exposed to the ball just below the ear.
Phill Hughes was quickly taken to St. Vincent’s hospital in Sydney where he fought really hard for his life for a couple of days but unfortunately lost the battle in the end. All the Sheffield Shield games that were going on were abandoned and Australian cricket went into a deep state of grief. Cricket fans around the globe still remember the speech that former Australian captain Michael Clarke read out at his funeral with teary eyes and a heavy voice as he mourned the death of a dear friend and bright prospect for Australian cricket who had a lot in store for the cricket fans around the globe.
Phill Hughes’ tragic death forced the cricket community and the Apex Cricket Council to introspect the security and protection of players on the cricket field. Designs of helmets were considerably altered after this unfortunate incident which has elevated the protection standards for a batsman. But the cricket world won’t forget the loss of a cheerful bloke who loved expressing his freedom on the cricket pitch with a bat in his hand.