Phil Hughes: The world mourns death of young batsman
Kunal Wagle goes back through the pages of Phil Hughes' tragically short career.
8th March 2009, Kingsmead, Durban. An Australian batsman is entertaining the crowd with a superb hundred. It was his second of the game, and meant that he, at the age of 20, became the youngest man to score two hundreds in a Test Match. It was just his second test match. This week, we mourn his passing. Phillip Hughes, who would have turned 26 on Sunday, was largely considered one of Australia’s most talented batsmen when he started out for New South Wales at the age of 18. He became the youngest batsman to score a century in the Sheffield Shield Final when he scored 116 against Victoria to lead his side to victory. It was his maiden First Class century.
On Tuesday, when playing for his adopted side South Australia against his former side New South Wales, Hughes was struck by a bouncer from former colleague Sean Abbott. Hughes fell forward onto his face. He would remain unconscious until his death in the afternoon on Thursday in Sydney.
Hughes struggled to make the
“Even in your last innings they still couldn’t touch you. 63*”
Kane Richardson on Twitter
Australian team, after being “found out” against the short ball by Andrew Flintoff in the 2009 Ashes, and had to settle for being the first alternative for the national side. That didn’t stop him from scoring 86 from 75 balls in a win against New Zealand and his third test century against Sri Lanka in 2011. He was selected for the one-day squad in 2013, where he became the first (and only) Australian to score on a hundred on debut. He would add one more in the same series.
In his final game Hughes was on 63 not out before that fatal ball. His team mate Kane Richardson paid tribute, saying “Even in your last innings they still couldn’t touch you. 63*”
Credit: Mike Hutchings/Reuters
Hughes died from vertebral artery dissection, an injury that has only ever been recorded a hundred times. And only once due to a cricket ball. The injury was described by doctors as “extremely rare and a freak injury”.
He leaves behind his mother, father, brother and sister. And a grieving cricket world.
