Courtesy: Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA) is set to mark the 10th death anniversary of former opening batter Phil Hughes before the start of the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test match between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval on December 6. It was this month in 2014 when Phil Hughes, who was one of the brightest young cricketers in Australia, tragically passed away after being struck by a ball on his head while batting during a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
The death of Phil Hughes occurred just days before his 26th birthday, which sent shockwaves through the cricket community and left many of them distraught. As per the report from the Indian Express, the flags will be flown at half-mast and players will be wearing black armbands, apart from a minute’s silence will be observed at the Adelaide Oval in the build-up to play on day one of the second BGT Test early next month.
We wanted to ensure that the Hughes family, particularly, were comfortable with any commemorations: Nick Hockley
Nick Hockley, the CEO of Cricket Australia (CA), spoke to the media about commemorating Phil Hughes on his 10th death anniversary, and remarked, “We understand this will be a time of reflection for the many people who knew and admired Phillip Hughes. We wanted to ensure that the Hughes family, particularly, were comfortable with any commemorations and that we celebrate Phillip’s life and incredible achievements appropriately.”
According to Cricket.One, the tributes for Phil Hughes on his death anniversary will begin with the latest round of matches in the Sheffield Shield on Saturday, November 23. South Australia will be taking on Western Australia at the Adelaide Oval, while the childhood team of Phil Hughes, New South Wales will play against Tasmania at the SCG, apart from Queensland competing against Victoria at the Gabba.
During his cricketing career, Phil Hughes made 26 Test appearances for Australia, scoring 1535 runs at an average of 32.65 with three hundreds and seven fifties, while 25 ODI matches for him yielded 826 runs at average of 35.91 with two hundreds and four fifties. The left-handed batter also made a solitary T20I appearance against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, scoring six runs in his innings.
