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Monday was the third anniversary of the sad death of Phillip Hughes. In memory of his legacy I’ve decided to share with you the story of how his death impacted me at the time.
On the 25th of November 2014 an event occurred that changed Australian cricket forever.
Australian batsman Phil Hughes was struck by a bouncer by fast bowler Sean Abbott. Phil was on 63* while playing a state game for South Australia against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
It was one of three state games that would decide the Australian Test team for the upcoming series.
It was a normal day at school for me and I was excited for the upcoming Test series and the school holidays. When I got home I heard the news that a cricket player was hit by a cricket ball while playing.
I was shocked to hear that it was one of my favourite players, Phil Hughes.
I saw in a video on the news that as soon as he was hit, he fell straight to the ground and was unconscious. He was surrounded by some of his teammates from New South Wales and Australia including Michael Clarke, Steve Smith and David Warner.
The newsreader said that Phil was in a critical condition. I was thinking about how when I heard someone was in a critical condition, I thought it was not life threatening.
On the 27th of November, two days after he got hit by the ball, came the bad news that Phil had died from his injuries. Sadly it was only a few days before his 26th birthday.
In the autopsy it said that Phillip was hit on the neck in a place unprotected by his helmet injuring blood vessels and stopping blood flow to his brain.
I came home from school to hear the bad news and was very shocked and surprised that someone could die while playing cricket.
In the days after the news of Phillip’s death there was a social media hashtag put your bats out in tribute to Phillip and so I also put my bat out in memory of Phil.
(AP Photo/Jon Super)
In the wake of Hughes’ death all state games were called off. In proof that the Phil Hughes incident wasn’t just felt in Australian cricket, in a New Zealand and Sri Lanka game the players did not celebrate and make noise instead being silent.
This showed the cricket world was in mourning.
On December 3 2014 Philip’s funeral was held in his hometown. Michael Clarke, one of Phil’s friends who was playing in the game when Phil got hit, gave a speech at Phil’s funeral.
Michael paid tribute to “his little mate” and how he was expecting a call from Phil. As I watched I started crying and thought “how could this happen to someone I loved so much?”
After the funeral, questions were being asked about how the players would cope with playing a game only six days after their best friend died. But Michael Clarke said that “the game will go on”.
During the Adelaide Test match it was very emotional for everybody when David Warner got to 63. He looked up to the sky for his fallen mate who was on the same score when he got hit, and David went on to get a 100.
Also Steve Smith wore a black armband in memory of his mate and got 100 runs. Michael Clarke, who only a week ago held back tears at his little mate’s funeral, fought through pain to also score a century.
Why all this matters to me is because Phillip was one of my favourite players and I want him to be remembered. Even though this was a freak accident I still think that helmets should be upgraded so they’re covered all around the neck.
There was a final tribute to Phillip Hughes while playing at the SCG a few Tests later, the same place David Warner saw his best friend get hit. When David got to 63 he kissed the spot where Hughes faced his final ball.
RIP Phil Hughes. Forever 63 not out.
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