Phillip Hughes
The sudden death of Phil Hughes following a neck injury has shocked the entire cricket fraternity. The young and dynamic left-handed batsman would have played many other matches for his country had fate not intervened. Phillip was knocked unconscious by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground) on 25 November, 2014.
The 25 year old batsmen made his Test debut in 2009 and ODI in 2013 and was known for his lovable character, boisterous nature, and an unorthodox batting technique. His one day debut in 2013 amazed the cricket world when he scored a century and double centuries back to back, the first to be secured by any Australian player. He rose to fame in his second test match where he scored a century in both the innings and became the youngest player to have such a feat.
Strange though it may sound, but Hughes kicked off his first-class cricket with the same Sheffield Shield competition that he was currently playing for and got hit .
From the 26 test matches and 25 ODIs that he played, he scored 1535 and 826 runs respectively.
Similar kinds of injuries has taken place in the past for a multitude of players. For instance, Bill Woodfull, another Australian player who played for both, Victoria and Australia was once hit in the heart from a delivery by Harold Larwood. The reason why Woodfull’s incident came first to my mind is because of the famous reply that he gave to the England team’s manager Pelham Warner when he visited the dressing room to express his remorse. What he said was:
“I don’t want to see you Mr. Warner. There are two teams out there. One is trying to play cricket and the other is not”.
Bill Woodfull (right)
There is no relevancy whatsoever of this incident to the one in Phil’s.
The game has certainly some highs and lows. This is the same game that is responsible for the hay days of many players. However, it is extremely unfortunate to see someone go like this. Still, nobody can be blamed here. Fate plays its part and it is we humans that get to suffer. Children play Cricket, but it is certainly not a child’s play.
Phillip Hughes, 1988-2014
PS: R.I.P Philip Hughes. Deepest condolences to his family and friends.