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With the cricket family in mourning over the tragic death of Phil Hughes, the game has to take a collective breath in the short term.
It is often said when someone’s life is cut short like Phil’s has been, that he or she would have wanted the show to go on.
But the right decision is to cancel the start of the Australian Test summer next week at the Gabba, where Australia are scheduled to take on India.
»Phil Hughes’ career in pictures
»STORY: Phil Hughes passes away
Many of the players in the Australian team were close friends of Phil and have played a lot of cricket with him. It will be almost impossible for them to get themselves right for that Test.
There’s also the issue that he was a very good chance of being their teammate and continuing his stop-start 26-Test career, with his close mate and captain Michael Clarke out with injury.
It’s just not the right time to play. Mind you, Adelaide is due straight after and the question needs to be asked, do you also call that match off?
Cricket Australia need to make a decision quickly and obviously discretely in these very sad circumstances.
All grade cricket needs to be called off this week around Australia. The tour match against India was scheduled to play in has already been cancelled.
This next week or so must be a time of reflection for our vast cricket community as we come to terms with such a tragic accident.
The media too, of which I have been part of for more than 25 years, must leave Sean Abbott alone and let him grieve with his family and friends. You couldn’t imagine what he is going through; involved in an accident with one of his friends playing the sport they love, both carving fine careers out for themselves.
It seems that Sean is in good hands with the support of the New South Wales team. Hopefully he can recover and find the courage to play cricket again at the high level he has been producing. We wish him well.
Our thoughts need to be with the Hughes family and I am sure they have outstanding support.
Phil was trying to prove people wrong; show that he could be a good Test player. Unfortunately, he will never get that chance. But there were brilliant moments – especially the century in each innings in Durban at the start of his Test journey in 2009. He made one of Test cricket’s most feared pace attacks, Dale Steyn, Makaya Ntini and Morne Morkel, look less than threadbare, which is almost impossible to do.
He will be remembered for that, but most importantly he will be remembered for being a humble, caring and determined person.
May he rest in peace and may the cricket community be inspired by his feats, which were many in such a short space of time.
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