The death of Phillip Hughes marks the darkest day in Australian sport in my lifetime, and in the lifetimes of people many years my senior.
The moniker once infamously assigned to a day devoted to the discovery of drug cheating and match fixing, makes these issues appear wholly trivial.
Here was a sportsperson who presented the all too rare mixture of stunning ability and genuine humility. He was a player that people wanted to see succeed, for when in form, there were few more thrilling spectacles in the game.
Even as he slashed and parried at the highest peak of the game, you had the enduring sense that he viewed each innings as an absolute privilege.
The fact that many people are struggling to deal with the profound sadness of this loss is a result of the unique place that cricket holds in Australian life.
Australian cricketers are strangers that we invite into our living rooms for the duration of summer. For many, the sound of bat on ball and the words of the Channel Nine commentary team are the soundtrack to the warmer months.
They are synonymous with a time of year that for those fortunate enough means invaluable time spent with those that we love. This fondness for the game naturally extends to the players, in particular to those that carry themselves with the grace that Phil Hughes did.
I had the pleasure of having dinner with him at the home of a great friend of mine, in the early stages of his first class career.
After dinner, he spotted on the shelf the season review DVD of the school cricket team that my friend and I had played in, and insisted that we watch it.
Not a single cricketer in that entire video had one per cent of the talent that he possessed, yet he watched with intent and good humour, and even provided positive feedback; feedback that I have recounted more times than I would like to admit.
By all reports, this was indicative of the character that endeared him to all he came across.
This tragedy will loom large over the game of cricket, however the pain that the global community feels will not compare to that of his family and friends.
We hope that they can take solace in the fact that their son, brother and friend, spent much of his life bringing great joy to people in every corner of the globe.
Vale Phillip Hughes, may you rest in peace.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
Three-Test spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has signed with Tasmania in a bid for red-ball game time ahead of Australia's tour of Sri Lanka next summer.…
Last week, you read about the Matt XI, a compilation of the best cricketers ever to represent the name Matt. And to be fair,…
The Aussie needed every centimetre of his height and reach to reel that one in!
Royal Challengers Bengaluru needed 21 off the final over...but after three sixes, a caught and bowled and a run out, Mitchell Starc's Kolkata had…
The Third Umpire ruled that he was standing outside his crease and the ball was dipping, making it a fair delivery - but the…
Jake Fraser-McGurk smashed the fastest 50 of the IPL season and the fastest in Delhi Capitals history. But it still wasn't enough as Sunrisers…
