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Phillip Hughes has passed away at the age of 25

undertaker

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There's going to be a 63 over (31.3 overs per side) match played in Nepal as well:

http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket...orld-cup-trouble/story-e6frf3ju-1227246188708

I initially thought it was 63 overs per side, which would be one hell of a marathon.

Forgot to also add that quite fittingly, one of Hughes' bats will be placed at the peak of Mt Everest after the match:

http://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/...nour-phillip-hughes-bat-taken-atop-mt-everest

OT, would love to see a match played here sometime in the near future:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...play-worlds-highest-match--Mount-Everest.html
 
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Dutchy

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Not sure if it has been mentioned. But South Africa's score of 408 against the West Indies on the SCG, Phil's test cap number.
 

JJ

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Not sure if it has been mentioned. But South Africa's score of 408 against the West Indies on the SCG, Phil's test cap number.

wooooo "the truth is out there"

Seriously isn't this stuff getting out of hand?

Love the tributes, clearly he was a good bloke, and this horrific incident affected lots of people - and it's terribly sad
 

Twizzle

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what does it matter whether he did or didn't sledge Hughes

he wasn't the one who bowled the short delivery at Hughes

good to see they are on the ball with this asking the important questions
 

Patorick

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Hughes' family - father Greg, mother Virginia, brother Jason and sister Megan - were in court on Monday as Bollinger and former Australian vice-captain Brad Haddin were among those to give evidence. The family's legal representative, Greg Melick SC, told the inquest they had concerns about the number of short balls bowled to Hughes that afternoon and about sledging in the lead-up to the blow. He said the family believed Hughes had been targeted in an "ungentlemanly way".

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket...ed-doug-bollinger-sledge-20161010-gryrj4.html
 

JJ

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Yeah, not sure what the relevance of some of this stuff is - we all know Australian cricketers sledge, everyone knew Hughes had a few weaknesses... what happened was tragic, but whether people said mean things to him when he was batting isn't really relevant, nor is whether they targeted him with short pitched bowling - I am not a fan of sledging, but I am really not seeing the point aside from traumatising those involved - surely the issue is around protective gear?
 

Patorick

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http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/1061097.html

Australia news October 10, 2016

Hughes inquest examines tactics, sledging

Daniel Brettig

Short-bowling tactics and allegations of sledging were placed under the microscope on day one of the New South Wales Coroner's inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes.

Witnesses including Brad Haddin, the NSW captain on the day, and pace bowler Doug Bollinger were examined on issues surrounding the events of November 25, 2014, when Hughes, playing for South Australia, was struck on the side of the neck by a short ball delivered by Sean Abbott in a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.

The blow caused a severe arterial injury that rendered him unconscious within seconds and ultimately ended his life in St Vincent's Hospital two days later.

Members of the Hughes family, who were present for the inquest at Sydney's Downing Centre court complex, had raised concerns about the bowling Hughes was subjected to on the day, and also about some of the comments allegedly directed to him prior to the blow.

It was alleged, in the examination of detective senior constable Jay Tonkin of NSW Police by the Hughes' family's legal representative Greg Melick SC, that Bollinger had uttered the words "I'm going to kill you", something the bowler strongly denied with the words, "I know in my heart I didn't say that." Hughes' parents, Greg and Virginia, were seen to shake their heads when Bollinger offered his denial.


Haddin was queried on tactical discussions about how to dismiss Hughes, given that he had established himself at the crease by lunch. Haddin stated he had discussions with the then NSW coach Trevor Bayliss about how to change the flow of the game, but denied any specific plans to bowl short.

The field placings used by Haddin after lunch - interpreted by some as to cater for short bowling - were, he said, devised to reduce the scoring rate. Haddin also stated that if he had wished to deliver a short-pitched attack on Hughes, he would have used other bowlers, pointing out that the spinner Nathan Lyon was operating opposite Abbott at the time.

However David Warner, in an earlier statement offered to the inquest, stated that the NSW team had previously formulated a plan for Hughes. "The team had developed a plan of how to get Phil out," he said. "Basically it was to bowl at or over leg stump and get Phil moving backwards instead of forwards."

Asked initially to recall events, Haddin spoke vividly of the moment Hughes was struck. "It was like something I've never witnessed before in my life," he said. "It was the noise. The groan. The way he fell straight down, motionless without trying to break the fall." As part of the first day's proceedings, the inquest viewed footage of the over in which Hughes was hit. Members of the Hughes family left the room at this time.

Proceedings had opened with addresses from the NSW Coroner, Michael Barnes QC, and the Counsel assisting the Coroner, Kristina Stern, SC. Barnes spoke about the toll the week's events were likely to take on the Hughes family in particular. "It is important to note that Phillip Hughes was, before anything else, a son and a brother," he said.

"To his family, who have been devastated, he was much more than a fabulous cricketer. I offer them my sincere condolences. I can appreciate these proceedings may be harrowing for them. It may exacerbate their raw pain. I deeply regret that, and only hope the improved safety that may result justifies that pain.

"Cricket is not generally seen as dangerous or violent. But that does not mean cricket can't be made safer."


Stern's address laid out numerous avenues of inquiry, and also outlined the timeline of events from the moment Hughes was struck to the time he made it into surgery at St Vincent's Hospital about an hour later. However she made clear that the type of injury sustained by Hughes meant, "None of the chronologies set out above had any impact on the death of Phillip Hughes, which appears to have been inevitable from the point of impact."

That left much focus to be placed on events leading up to the ball that struck Hughes. "Concerns have been raised in relation to the number of short balls that were delivered by the pace bowlers to Phillip Hughes," Sterns said. "And as to tactics during the afternoon session that day.

"In particular, concern has been expressed that the NSW team may have been bowling short at Phillip Hughes for a good majority of the time after lunch, in order to restrict the run rate and get him out. And as to whether the umpires should have taken steps to prevent this.

"There has also been some concern expressed as to any sledging that may have taken place that day. [Phillip's brother] Jason Hughes has, with the benefit of the video footage available, prepared a ball by ball analysis of the short-pitched deliveries that will assist your honour in understanding these issues."


Before the inquest began, Hughes' manager James Henderson delivered a statement on behalf of the family. "This is going to be a very, very, very difficult week for Greg, Virginia, Jason and Megan," Henderson told reporters outside the court. "They haven't been looking forward to this week, and they're hoping that perhaps there will be a positive that comes out of Phillip's death as we go through the next five days in the Coroner's court."

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, also spoke before the inquest began. Sutherland had delayed his departure for the next round of ICC meetings in Cape Town, South Africa, in order to be present for the start of the inquest.

"We never want to see a tragedy like this happen on the cricket field, and to that end we have the utmost respect for the coronial inquest process that we will need to go through this week," he said. "We won't be providing a running commentary dealing with specific issues through the week, but we do hope something good comes from this process."

The inquest continues on Tuesday with further witness examinations.

Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig
 

Patorick

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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...intervention-could-have-saved-cricketers-life

Phillip Hughes inquest told 'no intervention' could have saved cricketer's life

Inquest will consider whether protective equipment, including ‘StemGuard’ neck protector, might help prevent fatal injuries

Ben Doherty
@bendohertycorro
Monday 10 October 2016 15.49 AEDT

There was nothing that could have been done to save Phillip Hughes after he was hit in the neck by a ball as he batted in a Sheffield Shield match two years ago, a coronial inquest into his death has heard.

The 25-year-old former Test batsman, on the verge of a recall to the national side, was struck by a bouncer from the New South Wales paceman Sean Abbott as he batted for South Australia on the afternoon of 25 November 2014.

In footage of the delivert played before the state coroner Michael Barnes yesterday, Hughes attempts to hook the ball but misses and is struck on the left side of his neck. In the aftermath, he leans forward with his hands on his knees, before collapsing forward without making any attempt to break his fall.

Hughes never recovered consciousness and died two days later at St Vincent’s hospital.

Prof Brian Owler, a neurosurgeon and the former head of the Australian Medical Association, reviewed the injury that led to Hughes’s death, as well as the postmortem results, and concluded: “No intervention, no matter how early, that could have been performed to avoid his death.”

Owler said the medical treatment Hughes received was “timely and appropriate”.

Hughes suffered a vertebral artery dissection leading to a subarachnoid haemorrhage that occurred after the ball struck him in the neck. He was wearing a helmet at the time but the blow to his unprotected neck forced his head to move violently in relation to his neck, causing the dissection and a massive haemorrhage of blood into his brain.

A Cricket Australia review found the helmet Hughes was wearing did not meet newly introduced British safety standards but that the newer helmet would not have saved him.

The weeklong coronial inquest will consider whether any protective equipment – including the “StemGuard” neck protector additions to helmets since introduced and widely worn – might contribute to preventing such injuries.

Hughes’s family – his parents, Greg and Virginia, and his siblings, Jason and Megan – were at the opening morning of the coronial inquest.

Speaking outside Sydney’s Downing Centre court complex, Hughes’s former manager James Henderson asked that the family be given privacy.


“This is going to be a very, very, very difficult week for Greg, Virginia, Jason and Megan,” he said. “They’re hoping that perhaps there will be a positive come out of Phillip’s death as we go through this next five days inside the coroner’s court.”

Barnes offered his condolences to Hughes’s family, saying the 25-year-old was “much more than a fabulous cricketer”. “He was, before anything else, a son and a brother.”

Barnes said the purpose of the inquest was not to lay blame for Hughes’s death. “Quite clearly the death was a terrible accident but that doesn’t mean cricket can’t be made safer.”

The inquest will investigate the specific cause and manner of Hughes’s death, as well as its broader context.

In statements to the coroner, the umpires said play at the SCG that day had been in good spirits and that there was no noticeable aggression or acts of sledging that had concerned officials. No bowlers had been warned for dangerous or unfair bowling, or for continually bowling short at batsmen.

The inquest heard that while it was a tactic to bowl short to Hughes, it was not done with the aim of injuring him but in order to get him out.

In a statement, the NSW captain Brad Haddin, who was wicket-keeping when Hughes was struck, said “at lunch, there was a discussion about the plan get Phil to nick the ball by moving his feet” but that the tactic was “more of a field placement change than a bowling change”.

A longtime state and Australian teammate of Hughes’s, Haddin appeared before the inquest on Monday, saying the incident had been terrible to watch.

“It was like something I’ve never, ever witnessed before in my life when he fell down,” he said. “It was the noise that he let out, the groan, and the way that he fell straight down motionless without trying to break his fall.”

Simon Taufel, the former international umpire and umpiring expert, reviewed the entire day’s play and, in a report, said there had been 23 bouncers bowled for the afternoon, an unremarkable number. He said the umpires had firm control of the match and he witnessed nothing untoward in the leadup to Hughes’s death.

“Phillip was mostly playing the short deliveries with relative ease, either ducking underneath them, or hitting them for runs.”

Players also reported in statements that they did not believe there was any targeting of Hughes by bowlers that day, that there was no warning from the umpires about short-pitched bowling and no recollection of specific sledging targeted at Hughes.

The inquest heard from witness Detective Senior Constable Jay Tonkin that he had been told by Hughes’s brother Jason that the NSW fast bowler Doug Bollinger had allegedly threatened Hughes and his batting partner Tom Cooper, saying: “I’m going to kill you.”

Tonkin said he had been told by Jason Hughes (who was not playing in the match) that Bollinger had directed the comment towards both batsman during the day’s play.

“Jason informed me that he’d been told that,” Tonkin said, telling the inquest that Jason Hughes learned of the alleged comments two days later.

But none of the players on the field that day remember those words being said.


Under cross-examination, Haddin was asked about Bollinger’s alleged remark. “I didn’t hear anything,” he said.

Bollinger himself took the stand and denied having threatened or sledged Hughes. “I know I didn’t sledge Phil on that day,” he said.

He said there was no specific plan to bowl short to Hughes, but that short-pitched bowling was a legitimate tactic to dismiss batsmen. “You can bowl two bouncers an over and that’s how I bowl.”

The inquest will also address the ambulance response time and protocols for medical emergencies during Sheffield Shield games. The ambulance was delayed in reaching Hughes because of confusion over where at the SCG the ambulance should attend.

In May, Cricket Australia released an independent report into the batman’s death that recommended helmets be made mandatory for batsman in first-class matches facing medium or fast bowing, and for fielders close to the pitch.

In that review, the Australian Bar Association president, David Curtain SC, found Hughes received appropriate medical attention after being struck until the ambulance arrived.

The helmet Hughes was wearing that day met Australian standards but not the latest British standard. However, the newer model helmet would not have saved Hughes, Curtain found.
 

JJ

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This is just weird - but bowling short is a legitimate tactic, the umpires are responsible for sorting that - and from that second story it's not like it was an unusual day of cricket until the tragedy

The sledging I am never in favour of, but it happens so I don't see the big deal - what's even stranger is them denying it... even if Bollinger said "I'm going to kill you" I am pretty sure everyone knows he didn't mean it literally, nobody expected that... in a way Clarke's "get ready for a broken arm" is worse as it's more realistic - either way the intent is the same, generate doubt in the batsman...

Anyway, I don't see this doing anyone any favours
 

AlwaysGreen

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They are exploring every aspect of the event and so what happened preceding it is going to be examined.

As the Hughes family has raised concerns about the sledging it will be discussed.
 

JJ

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sure, but then laughable that the players are denying... imo anyway, obviously given the context some of what they said looks horrible - but it always was and they know that...

Anyway, just a tragic thing, never a Hughes fan but when we heard about it my son and I were speechless, terrible
 

Twizzle

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It was alleged, in the examination of detective senior constable Jay Tonkin of NSW Police by the Hughes' family's legal representative Greg Melick SC, that Bollinger had uttered the words "I'm going to kill you", something the bowler strongly denied with the words, "I know in my heart I didn't say that." Hughes' parents, Greg and Virginia, were seen to shake their heads when Bollinger offered his denial.

seriously, how would they know what was said on the pitch ?
 

Valheru

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I feel desperately sorry for his parents but the witch hunt and media beat up about the inquest is ridiculous. Are they seriously suggesting Phil was killed on purpose?

Even if Bollinger did sledge him, who cares? I am sure this type of things happens in all sports all over the world. I have said stuff I regret in the heat of the moment and that is during Sunday battler's league. It doesn't mean you would follow through with it.
 

PARRA_FAN

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I'm not sure how far this is going to go and I'm not sure what theyre trying to get out of this. I would've thought perhaps to look at possibly maybe making the game safer and more protective equipment, but it seems theyre trying to look for a bad guy into this. Everybody knows it was a tragic accident.

These reports of too many bounces and sledging in an unsportsman way, well, sledging and bowling bouncers have been around for a long time in cricket.

Whether there were a number of bounces towards Hughes, he was an opening batsman and you see the bowlers bowl a few short pitched deliveries early in the innings. The bowlers are trying to get him out, not kill him.

I feel for the Hughes family, I feel for the players who were out there that day, to go through it again. I mean its nearly 2 years since his passing, which isn't that long, a lot of people are still trying to come to terms with it.
 

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