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The inquest into cricketer Phillip Hughes’ death will conclude on its fifth day, with State Coroner Michael Barnes expected to hand down his findings by the end of the month.
It’s expected only submissions will be heard on Friday at Sydney’s Downing Centre, where the Hughes family shook their heads and muttered in seeming disbelief at the evidence of a Cricket Australia official on Thursday.
Sport science and medicine manager Alex Kountouris “absolutely” denied knowing about the family’s concerns regarding the nature of play on the fatal day at the time he conducted investigations into the death for a 2015 incident report.
Hughes, 25, died two days after he was struck on the neck by a short-pitched delivery from NSW paceman Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield match on November 25, 2014.
His family is concerned he was targeted by ungentlemanly bowling and comments before the incident.
However, counsel assisting Kristina Stern SC has submitted there is no evidence sledging exacerbated the injury and that it would be unnecessary for Mr Barnes to make a finding on the issue.
Hughes’ death “appears to have been inevitable from the point of impact”, Ms Stern submitted on the first day of the proceedings.
Members of Hughes’ grief-stricken family have attended all four days of the proceedings so far.
A NSW Coroner’s Court spokesperson on Thursday confirmed the findings will be handed down by the end of October.
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