Phil Hughes, was an hardworking cricketer. He is not someone who was bestowed with natural talent but had to work really hard to make his way up.
He scored loads of runs in first class cricket which ensured he came to the Australian team at a very young age(for Australian standards) of 19 and also become the youngest player to score 2 centuries in two innings of a test.
He was about to make a come back to the Australian side for the test match series against India in place of injured Michael Clarke.
That's when on 25th November a bouncer from Sean Abbott hit the left side of his back neck. The helmet doesn't cover this space. This is where the vertebral artery that takes blood to the brain is located which split and caused him to collapse immediately. He was administered CPR on the ground and taken to the hospital where he had undergone surgeries. However, on 27th November he passed away. Thus becoming the first cricketer at first class level to die because of an injury while batting.
There are few deaths of cricketers that had affected me - Dhruv Pandove was the first. He was touted as the next Tendulkar. He was breaking many of Tendulkar's records in the age cricket and in first class cricket. He was killed in an accident when he was 18 years old. I was eagerly following his progress when this happened. The under 19 trophy in India is named after him now. Raman Lamba was the second when he was killed while fielding at short leg in a club match in Bangladesh. He was completely out of reckoning to play for the country and also was not a regular for Delhi Ranji team when this happened. And finally Phil Hughes'.
This incident will have a huge impact on the way cricket is played (for a few months at least). Players will be more cautious in playing the hook or pull. There will be lot more ducking and swaying. The helmet design will definitely be relooked at to make it more safer. Not sure if we will have a HANS device like in car racing. Read that New Zealander's didn't bowl even one bouncer in the test against Pakistan which was on going at the time of Hughes death. The India Australia test series is also rescheduled and first test at Gabba is moved as the second and it is also pushed out by few days.
The manufacturer of the helmet that Hughes was wearing at the time of the injury issued a statement that Hughes was not wearing the latest model. To me this was an accident that cut a life short.
Coming to Sean Abbott who bowled the bouncer. I really feel for him. He is only 22 and will always have the guilt of bowling the bouncer which killed Hughes. Even though it was not intended to injure him. I had an accident(the person got injured and luckily it was nothing major) when driving a car and took me a long time to get back into the car. And the first time I did, I was completely shaken and mentally drained.
Every cricketer and Cricket Australia has offered him all the support he needs but I am sure he will be undergoing counselling from professionals. However, it will take him sometime to get back to bowling. It is going to be very difficult for him to come back to bowling.
He scored loads of runs in first class cricket which ensured he came to the Australian team at a very young age(for Australian standards) of 19 and also become the youngest player to score 2 centuries in two innings of a test.
He was about to make a come back to the Australian side for the test match series against India in place of injured Michael Clarke.
That's when on 25th November a bouncer from Sean Abbott hit the left side of his back neck. The helmet doesn't cover this space. This is where the vertebral artery that takes blood to the brain is located which split and caused him to collapse immediately. He was administered CPR on the ground and taken to the hospital where he had undergone surgeries. However, on 27th November he passed away. Thus becoming the first cricketer at first class level to die because of an injury while batting.
There are few deaths of cricketers that had affected me - Dhruv Pandove was the first. He was touted as the next Tendulkar. He was breaking many of Tendulkar's records in the age cricket and in first class cricket. He was killed in an accident when he was 18 years old. I was eagerly following his progress when this happened. The under 19 trophy in India is named after him now. Raman Lamba was the second when he was killed while fielding at short leg in a club match in Bangladesh. He was completely out of reckoning to play for the country and also was not a regular for Delhi Ranji team when this happened. And finally Phil Hughes'.
This incident will have a huge impact on the way cricket is played (for a few months at least). Players will be more cautious in playing the hook or pull. There will be lot more ducking and swaying. The helmet design will definitely be relooked at to make it more safer. Not sure if we will have a HANS device like in car racing. Read that New Zealander's didn't bowl even one bouncer in the test against Pakistan which was on going at the time of Hughes death. The India Australia test series is also rescheduled and first test at Gabba is moved as the second and it is also pushed out by few days.
The manufacturer of the helmet that Hughes was wearing at the time of the injury issued a statement that Hughes was not wearing the latest model. To me this was an accident that cut a life short.
Coming to Sean Abbott who bowled the bouncer. I really feel for him. He is only 22 and will always have the guilt of bowling the bouncer which killed Hughes. Even though it was not intended to injure him. I had an accident(the person got injured and luckily it was nothing major) when driving a car and took me a long time to get back into the car. And the first time I did, I was completely shaken and mentally drained.
Every cricketer and Cricket Australia has offered him all the support he needs but I am sure he will be undergoing counselling from professionals. However, it will take him sometime to get back to bowling. It is going to be very difficult for him to come back to bowling.
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