There is no doubt that the passing of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes at a time when he looked certain to return to the Test match arena has rocked this sports mad country. The way in which he lost his life seems unbelievable.
There have been shouts for helmets to be revised, as on this occasion the ball evaded the helmet when it struck the fatal blow. There has been talk of no longer bowling bouncers, or short rising balls aimed at the batsman’s body. These are all natural reactions, but over reactions.
One thing that cricket should remember is that this was a very rare occurrence. If it wants to act responsibly it should ensure that all playing the game learn to play as those of yesteryear learned, by keeping your eye on the ball at all times. Too many young players turn their head away when a short ball is bowled at them and expect a chest pad or helmet to protect them. The best way to protect yourself is to learn the basics properly, and that includes evading rising balls; the plethora of padding available these days and T20 style cricket, where technique is often left in the pavilion has meant the basic rules have been forgotten.
In fact the past few days have highlighted the fact that other cricketers too have lost their lives playing the game in recent years.
Just last year South African Darryn Randall aged 32 who played for Border was hit on the side of the head when attempting a pull shot in a South African domestic match. The wicketkeeper-batsman collapsed and was rushed to hospital, but he died from the blow.
Also in 2013 up and coming player Pakistani player Zulfiqar Bhatti aged 22 was struck in the chest by the ball while batting during a domestic game and fell to the ground. He was too was sadly pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
Former Indian one day international Raman Lamba in 1998 was hit on the head while fielding during a club match in Dhaka. He went into a coma three days later, before being pronounced dead.
Former England opening bat Wilf Slack also passed away while playing, but of a heart problem. Slack collapsed and died during a domestic match in Banjul, Gambia. It was later revealed he had suffered four blackouts in previous matches, but despite carrying out tests, doctors were unable to diagnose the cause of his death.
Then there have been players who have been lost to the game too soon off of the field of play and Ben Hollioake’s name is one that jumps out. Another that many cricket fans in Australia will recall is the name Archie Jackson, who passed away during the “Bodyline Tour” of 1933 aged just 23. He wrote for the Brisbane Mail and insisted that Bodyline was legitimate, held no threat to the game, and that it could be combated which was a minority view in Australia at that time.
Jackson was destined for great things and he left the world far too young aged just 23 and having played 8 test matches and having scored 474 runs at an average of 47.40. He suffered a severe pulmonary haemorrhage. Members of the English and Australian teams visited him in hospital during his last days. On 16 February 1933, Jackson became the youngest Test cricketer to die until Bangladeshi Manjural Rana in 2007; who died in a motorcycle accident in the West Indies. The nation mourned his passing as one.
Philip Hughes is another who has left us far too young and his passing will witness a similar outpouring of emotion in Australia, to a level not seen since probably the passing of Jackson.
The Test Match continued in 1933 and one feels that if the players feel they can play that the Test Match next week should also go ahead. It has been suggested that as Hughes was about to make his return to the side he should be named twelfth man in tribute. This would be a wonderful and fitting gesture, although he would obviously much rather have been playing.
