Phil Hughes

One of cricket’s darkest days as the 25-year-old passed away after being hit by a bouncer .

Phillip Hughes, Australia’s youngest Test centurion and the youngest to score centuries in both innings of a match, was a player of short stature, who used to relish playing the shorter deliveries.

Having impressed in his debut series against South Africa at Johannesburg in 2009, taking on the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, he was full of promise. But consistency issues cost him a regular place in the side in a stop-start career.



But as soon as he was finally expected to make his way back into the Australian side for the Tests against India, and was hit by a Sean Abbot bouncer in a Sheffield Shield match and lost consciousness.

Hughes was taken to a hospital, where he underwent surgery, but could not recover from the blow, being pronounced dead on November 27, three days before his 26th birthday.

The entire sporting world mourned the loss of one of Australia’s favourite sons, with Pakistan and New Zealand postponing a day of their third Test and Australia and India also delaying their first.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st,  2014.

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