Phillip Hughes will never be forgotten. (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP via Getty Images)
No cricket fan will ever forget November 27, 2014, undoubtedly cricket’s saddest date. Emerging Australian batsman Phillip Hughes passed away on that fateful day, aged 25.
He was felled by a bouncer during an Australian domestic game two days earlier. Hughes lost consciousness immediately and was placed in an induced coma. He was wearing a helmet but the ball struck an unprotected area just below his left ear.
Hearing the tragic news of his death is one of those moments you’ll never forget. For me, it feels so vivid like it happened yesterday. My deadline at the newspaper I was working for at the time in Australia had passed, providing a momentary breather.
Everything changed when my colleague uttered two words I’ll never forget: “Hughes died.” I did not instantly comprehend those heart wrenching words. Like many others, I hoped Hughes would recover.
Maybe we had all been in denial. Pictures had emerged of ashen-faced Aussie cricketers exiting St Vincent’s Hospital. You could probably read between the lines of the tragedy unfolding but it was hard to accept until the bitter realization finally sank in.
The painful aftermath was exacerbated by being in a country which places its national cricketers on a pedestal – long before the ball-tampering debacle somewhat fractured that affection.
Phillip Hughes played 25 Tests for Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
There was an outpouring of emotion. Grief, anguish, anger, emptiness, disappointment…everything was expressed. The first Test between Australia and India was postponed. First class cricket in Australia was called off. Cricketers didn’t want to play. Nobody particularly wanted to watch cricket. It was an extremely hollow period, where everyone just felt collectively glum.
It is still hard to fathom that Hughes, who had boyish looks and a beaming smile, is gone and that his promising career was cut short just when he was on the cusp of potentially achieving greatness in the sport he cherished.
Hughes was such a batting talent with his cavalier approach reminiscent more of a West Indian batsman and his high, flourishing back-lift evoked images of Brian Lara. We saw a snapshot of his special ability when as a 20-year-old against a formidable South African attack in Durban, Hughes plundered twin centuries in just his second Test.
His career halted several times in the ensuing years, with Andrew Flintoff and Chris Martin exposing some troubles outside off-stump, but they were merely growing pains experienced by almost ever Test cricketer – even all-timers.
Phillip Hughes was an aggressive batsman. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Hughes inevitably seemed headed for a long, fruitful career until that fateful delivery. He played 26 Test matches for Australia and 25 One-Day Internationals.
The incident haunts. Debate has raged over the use of neck guards in cricket, which ignited recently when Australian superstar Steve Smith was felled by a brute of a delivery from Jofra Archer during the Ashes.
It was a shocking sight and instantly dredged up the images of Hughes. Smith, fortunately, batted on before being later substituted in the first use of cricket’s new laws after suffering a delayed concussion.
The 30-year-old wasn't wearing a StemGuard, the protective attachment designed by helmet manufacturer Masuri in the aftermath of Hughes’ death. He tried using it in the nets when it was launched in 2015 but did not find it comfortable.
Steve Smith suffered a sickening blow during the Ashes. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Cricket Australia (CA) hopes the use of the neck guard will become mandatory.
But, right now, it’s a time to be reflective of Hughes – such a beloved figure in Australian cricket. "I think some of the boys here were pretty close to Phil and five years actually it's gone pretty quick,” Smith said on Wednesday ahead of the second Test between Australia and Pakistan.
“I dare say some of the boys will reflect and think about our little mate that's for sure. You have little moments that come up every now and then, things that remind you of him,” he added.
CA chief executive Kevin Roberts described Hughes as “a man dedicated to his family, a loyal friend, a popular teammate and a prodigiously talented cricketer”.
“There hasn’t been a single day over these last five years when Phillip’s loss hasn’t been felt acutely by the Australian cricket family,” he said. “He remains in the hearts of players, coaches, staff, volunteers and fans across Australia and around the world. He always will.”
Five years on, cricket feels and looks much the same.
Deep down, we know it never will be.
