New Delhi: The “throat ball” had the final laugh as 25 years old Australian batsman Phillip Hughes succumbed to the head injuries Thursday he suffered during a local match.. He is the fourth batsman to have fallen prey to the most intimidating delivery of the game.
Cricket has shown its cruel face and another gentleman lost his life in the game. Phillip Hughes, an Australian cricketer was hit by a bouncer on his head which led to his death.
Australian batsman Phillip Hughes (30 November 1988 – 27 November 2014) was an Australian Test and One-Day International (ODI) cricketer who, as of 2013, played domestic cricket for South Australia and Worcestershire.
He was a left-handed opening batsman who played for two seasons with New South Wales before making his Test debut in 2009 at the age of 20.
During a Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 25 November 2014, while batting on 63 not out, Hughes was struck in the head by a bouncer from New South Wales bowler Sean Abbott after mistiming his shot, and was subsequently taken to hospital. He died two days later from his injuries, aged 25.
The match was immediately abandoned, and early the next day Cricket Australia announced that the other two Shield games that were being played elsewhere in Australia would also be abandoned, stating “Given how players across the country are feeling right now, it's just not the day to be playing cricket”.
Phillip Hughes's Test centuries
| Score | Match | Vs | Venue | Year |
| 115 | 2 | South Africa | Kingsmead Cricket Ground | 2009 |
| 160 | 2 | South Africa | Kingsmead Cricket Ground | 2009 |
| 126 | 13 | Sri Lanka | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground | 2011 |
Phillip Hughes's ODI centuries
| Score | Match | Vs | Venue | Year |
| 112 | 1 | Sri Lanka | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 2013 |
| 138 | 5 | Sri Lanka | Blundstone Arena | 2013 |
On 11 January 2013, Hughes became the first Australian batsman in the history of ODI cricket to score a century on debut, a feat which he achieved in Melbourne against Sri Lanka.
Hughes is also the youngest cricketer ever to score back-to-back centuries in a test match, a feat which he achieved in Durban, 2009 against South Africa.
Awards:
New South Wales Rising Star Award: 2007
Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: 2009
Sheffield Shield Player of the Year: 2008/09
Domestic Player of the Year: 2012/13
