By Kedar Yenpure
An impressive career that didn’t last long:
Phillip Joel Hughes was an Australian test and one-day international cricketer. He was a left-handed opening batsman who made his test debut in 2009 at the age of 20. In his second test match, he scored an incredible century against South Africa. Moreover, on 11 January 2013, he became the first Australian batsman in the history of ODI cricket to score a century on debut against Sri Lanka.
A day that was never expected:
The bad day of his life turned out to be 25 November 2014. During the afternoon session of the Sheffield match between South Australia and New South Wales, Hughes batting on 63 was hit on the neck by the ball after missing an attempted hook shot to a bouncer from bowler Sean Abbott. He wore a helmet but the bad luck is that the ball had hit the area just below the left ear and he collapsed on the ground immediately. He was immediately shifted to the hospital but on the morning of 27 November, doctors declared the death of Hughes. The sad part is that his birthday was just three days away.
Reaction from the Australian players:
Justin Langer – “We often joked about which one of my daughters he could marry; any father knows there is no greater compliment to give a young man than saying you would be happy for them to marry one of your daughters,”
Michael Clarke – “I think about him every day to be honest. I have a lot of stuff around my house that reminds me of him daily, so it’ll be no different on his birthday and on the anniversary of his death.”
A sad day for all cricket lovers!
Rest in Peace Phil Hughes ! (30 November 1988 -27 November 2014)
