As the dust settles over Macksville, with Phillip Hughes laid to rest far too soon, Australian cricket will next week attempt to move on from this tragedy and kick off the summer of international cricket in Adelaide.
With Cricket Australia and the BCCI agreeing to a condensed, tightly-packed block of Test matches commencing on December 9, questions still linger over the physical and mental readiness of the players.
While captains Michael Clarke and MS Dhoni have been given extra time to recover from their respective injuries, Clarke in particular has been understandably unable to continue his rehabilitation efforts to overcome his hamstring woes.
Meanwhile, Dhoni is reportedly scheduled to arrive in Australia on December 5, leaving a tight window for continued recuperation and fending off jetlag.
With minimal breaks between the first three rescheduled Tests, it would not be surprising to see one or both men miss either the Adelaide or Brisbane match to increase their chances of making it through the summer.
Cricket Australia’s oft-maligned rotation policy will no doubt be employed this season, perhaps for a broader variety of reasons than usual. With Ryan Harris recently expressing doubts over his capacity to be mentally ready for the Adelaide match following Hughes’ tragic passing, one wonders how many of the Test squad will opt out of at least one game to continue their grieving.
With grief being a very personal thing, different for each individual, we can only hope Cricket Australia continues the considerate approach to player welfare they have displayed in recent weeks. It is only cricket, after all. If half the side need more time, let them have it.
Earlier this summer, Channel Nine began screening an extended promo for the ‘biggest summer of cricket ever’. I was exhausted just listening to the commentary run through the huge list of matches ahead, and that was just at international level.
Add to this rescheduled Shield matches, the Big Bash League and women’s international and domestic games, and there is a lot of cricket for players impacted in different ways by Hughes’ death to get through. Again, managing the welfare of these players will be an ongoing challenge for Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association this summer.
With an unprecedented outpouring of grief from the Australian public following the shock death of Hughes, support for the team and cricket in general will no doubt be high. However, the ferocity of the battle may well be tempered by the sombre mood in sporting circles, at least in coming weeks.
It will be very interesting to see what our great game looks like moving forward, and how players are impacted by the tragic death of Hughes. Hopefully the public will continue to be extremely supportive of national and state teams as they continue to come to terms with the loss of their friend and teammate.
My greatest hope throughout this and future seasons, however, is that cricket will be safe and enjoyable for players of all levels, here and abroad. Sport is meant to be fun, after all, not a matter of life or death.
Let’s hope this summer is an ongoing celebration of the life and brilliant career of Phillip Joel Hughes.
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