Phillip Hughes Passes Away Following Tragic Sport Accident

Young Cricketing Sensation Phillip Hughes Passes Away Following Tragic Sport Accident

Australian Test batsman Phillip Hughes died at the age of 25 after being struck on the top of the neck at a Sydney domestic match. Team doctor Peter Brukner said he passed away in a hospital, never having regained consciousness.

Deadly Accident

Hughes was a talented cricketer with a future ahead of him when a delivery that hit and injured him cut short what promised to be a brilliant career. Phil Hughes also played for Worcestershire, Middlesex and Hampshire. "It's an understatement to say we're completely devastated," Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland was quoted as saying by the BBC, "The word tragedy gets used too often in sport, but this freak accident is a real life tragedy.”

Australia team captain Michael Clarke read out a statement on behalf of the family of the late cricketer at a news conference in St. Vincent’s Hospital where the injured batsman was being treated. On behalf of the family, he said "We're devastated by the loss of our much-loved son and brother, Phillip. It's been a very difficult few days. We appreciate all the support we have received from family, friends, players, Cricket Australia and the general public. Cricket was Phillip's life and we as a family shared that love of the game with him. We would like to thank all the medical and nursing staff at St Vincent's Hospital and Cricket New South Wales medical staff for their great efforts with Phillip. We love you.”

Hughes had been batting for South Australia when he was hit by a bouncer and collapsed on the ground. Though he had been wearing a helmet, the ball hit him at the top of the neck leading to the injury. CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation at the ground was performed before the injured batsman was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital where a 90 minute operation was performed to relieve pressure on his brain.

Brukner said in a statement regarding the late cricketer that “He never regained consciousness following his injury on Tuesday. He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends. As a cricket community, we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillip's family and friends at this incredibly sad time. Cricket Australia kindly asks that the privacy of the Hughes family, players and staff be respected.”

Brukner also said that Hughes died of “veterbral artery dissection.” He said the artery had been compressed and split causing a "massive bleed" into the brain.
He also said the injury was "freakish", adding: "Vertebral artery dissection is incredibly rare. If you look in the literature, there is only 100 cases reported. There is only one previous example caused by a cricket ball.”
Dr Tony Grabs, who treated the late cricketer at St Vincent's, said scans had shown that the stricken cricketer needed surgery quickly to help get the pressure down in the brain."He had extensive surgery to remove some of the skull from around his brain to help allow the brain to expand," added Grabs. However, the recovery did not proceed as was hoped for.

Tribute And Remembrances

The Australian flag was lowered to half mast at the Sydney Cricket Ground where Hughes suffered the deadly injury, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott paid tribute to the late cricketing sensation, describing him as "a young man living out his dreams”. His death is a very sad day for cricket and a heartbreaking day for his family. What happened has touched millions of Australians," he said. “For a young life to be cut short playing our national game seems a shocking aberration. He was loved, admired and respected by his team-mates and by legions of cricket fans.” Australian coach Darren Lehmann tweeted: "RIP you little champ, we are all going to miss you! Love, prayers to all the Hughes family.”

England batsman Nick Compton said Hughes was a “cheeky, funny, positive guy. Looking back, I feel like he's made the most of his 25 years and it breaks my heart to think of a guy who I certainly thought would go down in the record books as one of the better run-scorers in Australian cricket. I think everyone who played with him found him a complete revelation. He was a fantastic player, a real run-getter from a young age and he was really exciting.”

A statement was released by the English team on Twitter saying "Our deepest sympathies go out to Phil Hughes' family, friends and team-mates at this incredibly sad time. Phil was admired and respected by all he played with and against and will never be forgotten by the cricket community."
Giles Clarke, the England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, said he was "an extremely popular and hugely respected cricketer in England and Wales" and "will be missed throughout the world of cricket".

Former England star Kevin Pietersen spoke of how Hughes was "growing and maturing into a magnificent cricketer. He was on course to do some really great things for Australia," he said. "He had a brilliant start to his career, it's just such a sad loss."
Indian sport icon Sachin Tendulkar, who played alongside Hughes in the IPL said: "Shocked to hear about Phil. Sad day for cricket. Deepest condolences to family, friends and well wishers. RIP.” The International Cricket Council (ICC) issued a statement saying it offers the "deepest condolences to the family and friends" of Hughes. ICC’s chairman Mr Narayanaswami Srinivasan added: "We are all shocked and saddened with the news of Phillip's passing.

Brilliant Career Record

Hughes had a brilliant career record, even at such a young age. He played 26 Tests and 25 ODIs. He made his cricketing Test debut at the age of 20 against South Africa in 2009. He came the youngest batsman to post 2 centuries in a single Test in his second match. Hughes also played county cricket for Hampshire, Middlesex and Worcestershire and shared a world record 10 wicket partnership of 163 with Ashton Agar in the 2013 Ashes series against England. He was also part of the Mumbai Indians IPL team in 2013. The late cricketer’s average from 25 one-day internationals was 35.91, and in Test cricket it was at 32.65. In first-class cricket, where he scored 26 hundreds, Hughes averaged 46.51. He achieved a top score of 243 not out for Australia A versus South Africa A in August 2014. Clearly, he had the talent to excel in his field.

Question of Safety

"It's an incredibly safe game, but I think this will shake batsmen slightly out of what might have been complacency," ex England captain and opening batsman Michael Atherton was quoted as saying, ”I wore the same helmet for 10 years. I never changed it. I didn't give it much thought really. If there is that kind of complacency that I was guilty of, then I think people will be shaken out of that.”

Often seen as a gentleman’s game, cricket is actually a tough sport where balls are regularly delivered at the speed of 140 kph which is around 87 to 90 miles per hour. Batsmen typically wield wooden bats less than a metre long and 4 inches in width. The Aussie batsman became the first international cricketer to die from such an injury while batting. From ban on bouncer to safer helmets, there have been debates on how to make the game safer. The death of the young and talented Phillip Hughes is a sad reminder of just how dangerous a sport accident in cricket can be.