Today would have been a day when a young man, full of life and a great passion for a game he loved and played, would have cut a cake and enjoyed his 26th birthday in a far off countryside in Australia. But fate had other plans and in a tragic turn of events a freak accident ended that spirited life in its youth while he was playing his favourite sport.

No, no, no, this was not how our great game of Cricket was meant to be. It was meant to spread joy and delight; often accomplishment and triumph, though at times, physical pain and sorrow of defeat, but never fear and dread of death. However on that fateful Thursday, a day that the cricket world will forever remember mournfully, a fatal bouncer shattered all those good things one associated with the game of cricket. 

Phil Hughes was that typical countryside boy who took to cricket with great hopes and aspirations. The boy who was brought up in a banana farm, amidst hordes of cattle, had the audacity of self belief to dream big. And when that boy showed massive talent in his trade he was immediately selected for national duties by a cricket country that is famous for late bloomers in cricket, given the enormous vault of talent it holds. In his second test appearance itself Hughes made history by becoming the youngest batsman to hit hundreds in both innings of a test match. In his ODI debut he hit another hundred and become the only Australian to hit a century in his debut match. Though he was often in and out of the Australian team, there was never a doubt in his talent and experts were always of the opinion that the little lad from Macksville was destined to greatness. Hughes was all set to return to the Australian side against India as a replacement for his long time mate Michael Clarke when tragedy struck.

Like all other cricket lovers across the world, this writer was also hoping that Phil Hughes will win his fight for life and will get back to playing cricket at the highest level. But it was not to be and like all other true lovers of the game this writer was also shattered by the news of Hughes’ passing. This writer also joined with cricket fans the world over in grieving and mourning the bereavement of the young cricketer who was not only respected but also loved by his friends and family and those who got a chance to play with him and against him.

During these extraordinary times in cricket, we also need to spare some thought for Sean Abbott, whose bouncer resulted in this freak accident. The tremendous outpouring of sympathy and support for the young bowler showed the unity of the cricket family. This writer is sure that the young man would be getting psychological help from Cricket Australia to overcome this awful tragedy.

Though we must not give kneejerk reactions to this tragedy it is important that ICC review all the safety equipments used in cricket. This great game can’t afford to have another of this tragedy and all involved must make sure that Phil Hughes’ martyrdom doesn’t go wasted. We must never forget Phil Hughes, the gentleman in this gentlemen’s sport, who laid down his life playing a game he loved the most.