Phillip Hughes could not regain his consciousness after he was struck by a Sean Abbott bouncer in a Sheffield Shield match on Tuesday. Team doctor Peter Brukner confirmed his death. Phillip Hughes was a talented South Australian batsman who scored a century on his ODI debut. He was supposed to play against India in the first test match. Cricket world is mourning in grief after his early death.Messages of support poured in from all around the world since Hughes collapsed after being hit behind the left ear after mis-timing a shot to a short-pitch delivery while batting for South Australia against New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match on Tuesday. He underwent emergency surgery at nearby St. Vincent’s Hospital and remained in a critical condition in an induced coma.
Australia captain Michael Clarke was among the dozens of teammates, former teammates and cricket officials who visited hospital in the following days.
Deaths are rare in cricket, although Hughes is the second player in two years to sustain a fatal blow.
Darryn Randall, who was 32 and a former first-class player in South Africa, was killed after being struck on the side of the head during a Border Cricket Board Premier League match in the Eastern Cape last year.
Images of Hughes collapsing face first at the Sydney Cricket Ground were broadcast almost instantly across Australia on Tuesday, when satellite TV trucks and dozens of news crews started reporting regular updates on his condition from outside the hospital.
Hughes played 26 test matches for Australia after making his debut 2009, but was not able to earn a regular spot in the starting lineup.
The injury sparked debate about short-pitch bowling in the game, the level of protection offered by helmets that first came into common use at the test level in the late 1970s, and the seemingly slow reaction time of the ambulance service as Hughes was treated on the field.
Bouncers, where a fast bowler aims to push the batsman back toward the stumps with a ball that lands halfway down the pitch and rears up above chest or head height, are still a regular and acceptable part of the game.
The International Cricket Council revised its laws on short-pitch bowling in the early 1990s, putting restrictions on the number of short-pitch balls allowed per over to stamp out bowlers merely using the delivery to intimidate batsmen. ICC President and Planning Minister of Bangladesh AHM Mustafa Kamal on Thursday expressed deep shock at the tragic death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes.
In a message of condolence, the ICC President said the death of Phillip Hughes is an irreparable loss to the world cricket. “His contribution to cricket will ever be remembered.”
Mustafa Kamal also prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved family members.
The ICC president heard the sad news while chairing a Ministerial Conference organised by ESCAP in Bangkok of Thailand. He, without any delay, placed a condolence motion which was later adopted. As a mark of respect to Phillip Hughes, the conference observed a one-minute silence.
Phillip Hughes, the Australia batsman touted to replace injured captain Michael Clarke for next week’s test match against India, succumbed to the injuries two days after he was struck on the head while playing for South Australia against New South Wales. – News Desk
