On 25 November 2014, the cricketing world suffered a terrible setback as never before. That day, Australian cricketer Philip Hughes, a serious prospect for the national cricket team, was hit on the side of his head by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match. Between South Australia and New South Wales at the prestigious Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
The opener fell to the ground, never regaining consciousness and died in hospital two days later – on 27 November. Hughes was just 25 and a week away from celebrating his 26th birthday.
The southpaw reached his half-century in that match and was going well till he faced a bouncer while batting on 63. He misses a bouncer from Sean Abbott and gets hit. Hughes apparently looked dazed and within seconds fell to the ground due to a brain hemorrhage.
The players, support staff and medical team rushed to the ground and helped to take the unconscious player back to the pavilion. He underwent surgery after being taken to a Sydney hospital, the situation was so dire that players and officials decided to stop the game.
Two days passed with no positive reports coming out of the hospital, but fate had brutal plans, as Hughes died on the same day (27 November). The cricketing world came to a halt, but a frantic debate broke out over the nature of helmets and the safety provisions for players.
Hughes’ funeral was held on 3 December, attended by cricketers from all walks of life, and dignitaries including Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott graced the occasion.
In all, Hughes represented Australia in 26 Tests in which he scored 1535 runs including three centuries. He also played 25 ODIs, scoring 826 runs and returning with an average of 35.91 and a strike rate of 75.09. His career-best unbeaten 138 was in a series-level effort against Sri Lanka in Hobart in 2013. Hughes played only one T20I for his country.
The left-handed batsman and occasional wicket-keeper had an impressive first-class record, where he scored 9,023 runs in 114 matches, including 26 centuries and a best of 243. Hughes’ List-A record was equally impressive, as he scored 3,639 runs in 89. Innings at an average of 47.25 including eight tons.
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