Today marks the 10th anniversary of Phillip Hughes’ death. The 25-year-old was one of Australia’s most exciting cricketing prospects before his life was cut short. Hughes was hit in the neck by a cricket ball during a Sheffield Shield match. He subsequently died from his injuries. Cricket Australia released a statement from Hughes’ family yesterday, while tributes from across the cricket community have continued to flow today.
Phillip Hughes Career
Hughes was a talented batsman who made his first-class cricket debut with NSW at the age of 18. Just over a year later, Hughes would go on to play his first Test match for Australia. In his second Test match, against South Africa in 2009, he scored a century in both innings and became the youngest men’s player to do so. Against Sri Lanka in 2013, Hughes became the first Australian batsman to score a century in their One-Day International debut.
In his final match on 25 November, Hughes was vying to regain a spot in the Australian Test team. That day, he was on 63 runs before being injured by a bouncer – a ball that is bowled short so it bounces early on the pitch and rises high near the batsman’s head. Hughes died of a vertebral artery dissection, a rare brain injury.
Tributes
Former Australian cricket coach Darren Lehmann told the ABC: “He loved life full stop. He did everything to get back into the side. He made every post a winner. It would’ve been nice to see him play just one more Test match.”
A part of the Hughes family statement read: “He played cricket for all the right reasons and had the ability to take it all in his stride. He loved being a part of a team and representing Australia for the game he loved so deeply… Phillip, we love you, we miss you and we are forever proud of you. We think about you every day and we are so thankful you were ours. Thank you for being the most extraordinary son and loving brother. “
