On the night of the ODI World Cup 2023 final, star cricketers Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith were spotted wearing a black armband with “PH” written on it. It can come to light that the cricketers’ gesture was a tribute to late Phillip Hughes, the Australian cricketer who passed away on November 27, 2014. The batter passed away after a sharp bouncer from Sean Abbott hit him head during a Shield match.
2015 World Cup-winning captain Michael Clarke paid tribute to him after their fifth title and recently Starc and Smith did the same. Travis Head, Australia’s World Cup-winning hero in 2023 also has a tattoo of Phillip Hughes on his hand and his X (formerly Twitter) has the cover photo of them hugging during a Shield match.
Just realised Mitchell Starc was wearing ‘PH’ black armband in the final.
In memory of Phillip Hughes. It has been nine years since he passed away. Truly never forgotten! #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/qMQpr22zsv
— Kalyani Mangale (@MangaleKalyani) November 20, 2023
Notably, Head missed the initial phase of the tournament due to a fracture in his left hand and joined the squad midway. On his return, the 29-year-old hit a cracking century against New Zealand and a half-century against South Africa in the semi-finals at Eden Gardens. On the night of the final, when his team was under enormous pressure, Head once again rose to the occasion and hit 137 runs to help Australia win the match by six wickets and lift their sixth ODI World Cup title.
Marnus Labuschagne supported him well in the middle, as the 29-year-old hit 58 runs. The duo stitched a partnership of 192 runs, which pushed India out of the competition. When it came to the bowlers, Mitchell Starc picked up three wickets, while Josh Hazlewood and skipper Pat Cummins picked two each.
Courtesy of their sensational performance, Australia managed to restrict India to 240 and eventually won the match with 42 balls remaining. The Indian team was extremely disappointed following the loss as players like Mohammed Siraj, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli almost broke down in the middle. Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the dressing room to console all the cricketers after the loss.