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RIP Phillip Hughes: Clarke, Tendulkar, Mumbai Indians lead tributes

Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke prepares to read a statement at St Vincent's Hospital following the death of fellow Australian batsman Phillips Hughes in Sydney on November 27, 2014. (AFP)

Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke prepares to read a statement at St Vincent's Hospital following the death of fellow Australian batsman Phillips Hughes in Sydney on November 27, 2014. (AFP)

Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar looks on during a promotional event for an automaker at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi on November 27, 2014. (AFP)

Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar looks on during a promotional event for an automaker at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi on November 27, 2014. (AFP)

Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke pauses before delivering a statement, on behalf of the family of deceased teammate Phillip Hughes, at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, November 27, 2014. (Reuters)

Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke pauses before delivering a statement, on behalf of the family of deceased teammate Phillip Hughes, at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, November 27, 2014. (Reuters)

Australian batsman Phillip Hughes raises his bat and helmet in celebration after scoring a century (100 runs) during the fourth day of the third and final Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka at The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo. (AFP)

Australian batsman Phillip Hughes raises his bat and helmet in celebration after scoring a century (100 runs) during the fourth day of the third and final Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka at The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo. (AFP)

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By Agencies

Batting icon Sachin Tendulkar led tributes in India on Thursday for Australian opener Phillip Hughes, calling the death of his former team-mate a "sad day for cricket".


"Shocked to hear about Phil. Sad day for cricket," said Tendulkar, who played alongside the 25-year-old Hughes in the Indian Premier League.

"Deepest condolences to family, friends and well wishers. RIP," Tendulkar said on Twitter of his former Mumbai Indians teammate.


Former and current Indian stars joined Tendulkar in paying tribute to Hughes, who died in a Sydney hospital on Thursday of injuries sustained after being hit by a rising ball in domestic cricket.

 


Batting great Sunil Gavaskar said his immediate reaction was "one of profound sadness".

"No one wants to hear such news about a sportsman, let alone a cricketer," the former opening batsman told NDTV. "My condolences to his family and the Australian cricketing fraternity."


Gavaskar, the first batsman to score 10,000 Test runs who played at the highest level in the pre-helmet days, said he never considered cricket to be a dangerous game.

"You learn to bear the pain," he said. "But this was a freakish accident. One should not blame helmet manufacturers for this. Many a time a batsman has been hit on the helmet and nothing happened because he was wearing one."

 

 


Another former captain Anil Kumble, who serves as mentor of the Mumbai Indians franchise, tweeted: "Sad day for cricket. Phil Hughes RIP. Knew him whilst he came over to Mumbai Indians. Thorough pro..will miss you."

All-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who battled lung cancer two years ago, called Hughes' death a "dark day for cricket".

"Dark day for cricket. Can't believe Phil Hughes has gone! RIP my friend. My heart goes out to his family. Shocking," Singh tweeted.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, whose team is currently touring Australia, tweeted its condolences for Hughes' family.

But it remained to be seen if the first Test, due to begin in Brisbane on December 4, will go ahead as scheduled due to the tragedy.

The touring Indian team issued a statement through Cricket Australia condoling the tragedy.

"The touring Indian team joins the cricketing fraternity across the world in offering condolences to the family of Phillip Hughes, who has departed from our midst," the statement said.

"In this moment of grief, we pray that they are bestowed with divine strength to overcome this unfortunate tragedy.

"As fellow cricketers we cherish the memories of playing along with him and deeply respect his contribution to the game of cricket."

 


Hughes toured India with the Australian team last year, playing in four Tests and six one-day internationals.

Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died in hospital in Sydney on Thursday, two days after the international batsman was struck on the head by a ball during a domestic match.

Governing body Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the 25-year-old had lost his fight for life, casting a pall over a cricket-mad nation which is co-hosting the World Cup early next year.

"We are extremely sad to announce that Phillip Hughes has passed away at the age of 25," CA said on its Twitter feed.

"Our thoughts go out to Phillip's family, friends, and the entire cricket community on this incredibly sad day.

"He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends.

"As a cricket community, we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillips family and friends at this incredibly sad time."

The Australian flag was lowered to half-mast over the Sydney Cricket Ground where Hughes suffered the horrific injury on Tuesday when batting for state side South Australia.


He was struck on the head by a short-pitched delivery from New South Wales paceman Sean Abbott, a devastating blow that experts compared to the trauma suffered by car crash victims.

 

 

 


After being treated at the stadium, Hughes, who played 26 Tests and 25 one-day internationals, was rushed to hospital to have emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

News of Hughes's death brought a fresh wave of tributes on social media, with past and present players conveying their shock and grief.

"No no no no no. RIP Phillip Hughes," former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist tweeted.

Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott described Hughes as a "a young man living out his dreams".

"His death is a very sad day for cricket and a heartbreaking day for his family,' Abbott said in a statement.


"What happened has touched millions of Australians.

"For a young life to be cut short playing our national game seems a shocking aberration."

The tragic announcement followed calls by former players for the Australian team to abandon the first Test of the four-match series against India next week.

Former Test batsman Dean Jones told Melbourne radio station 3AW he thought the Dec. 4 match in Brisbane could not go ahead.

"I don't think any of the boys will want to play," he said.

The news travelled quickly through the global cricket community, with the Pakistan Test match against New Zealand suspended out of respect for the player.

Hughes death would prove a "game-changer" for the so-called 'gentleman's game' of cricket, pundits said, ranging from the standards for head protection to the practice of short-pitched fast bowling.

Cricket balls are roughly the same shape and size of a baseball but harder and heavier. Fast bowlers regularly bowl at speeds of 140kph and short-pitched balls, known as 'bouncers', are often used as a tactic to intimidate batsmen.

Questions about the response time of ambulances dispatched to the stadium have also been raised.

The head of New South Wales Ambulance was to be hauled before the state health minister Jillian Skinner on Thursday after the ambulance authority issued conflicting statements about their response times.

The arrival of the first ambulance took 15 minutes, NSW Ambulance clarified in a statement on Wednesday.

The state's median response time for the highest priority "life-threatening cases" was just under eight minutes in 2013-14, according the authority's statistics.

Dr Peter Larkins, a leading sports physician, told Reuters: "Time is of the essence when your brain has suffered trauma."

Born in the small town of Macksville in New South Wales state, the pint-sized Hughes grew up on a banana plantation and made his first-class debut at 18.

He took the cricketing world by storm when he made his Test debut in 2009, scoring a mountain of runs despite his unconventional technique.

Hughes would betray a vulnerability to short-pitched bowling and though he was in and out of the Australian team over the following years, he never complained publicly about his plight as a fringe player.

 


He had scored 63 runs before being struck on Tuesday, his last innings said to be an audition to replace injured Australia captain Michael Clarke for the first Test.

News of his death broke just before long-time teammate Warner and his wife left the hospital in tears.

Dozens more players were hugging and crying as they emerged minutes later.

International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson added: "All those who play, have played or are in any way connected to the game are devastated by the news."

Hughes made his Test debut in South Africa in 2009 where he made 75 in the second innings at Johannesburg. The left-hander followed up in the second Test at Durban with centuries in both innings at the age of 20, the youngest player to achieve the feat.

The runs dried up and despite playing 26 Tests he never secured a regular place, partly due to his perceived weakness against the short, rising ball.

But with doubts over the fitness of Clarke for the first Test against India next week in Brisbane, he was seen as a potential replacement.

That Test is now in doubt with many of those due to take part close friends of Hughes who will struggle to cope.
 

 

 

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