It really is so hard to come to terms with the appalling news of Phillip Hughes' death as a result of being struck by a bouncer at the SCG. There have been previous high-profile incidents of severe head injuries resulting from short-pitched balls delivered in top-level cricket matches but this must be unprecedented. I recall the news of New Zealand tail-ender Ewen Chatfield being hit on his temple, swallowing his tongue and actually dying at the crease on his international debut against England almost forty years ago. Fortunately he was revived and went on to resume a promising career bowling alongside Sir Richard Hadlee.
No helmets in those days but, with pace bowlers like Lillee, Roberts, Holding, Daniel and Clarke becoming dominant, the Chatfield incident led to greater protection being routine in World Series Cricket and then, quite quickly, in all forms of the game. The helmet evolved from just a hard hat with temple guards to the fully-grilled equipment de rigeur in 2014. But even the ball which almost killed Chatfield was not an out-and-out bouncer; it had glanced up off the glove.
A decade on, and West Indian opener Phil Simmons also received a sickening blow in a county match at Bristol which briefly stopped his heart and prompted emergency brain surgery to save not only his fledgling career but also his life. Even in 1988, Simmons wasn't wearing a helmet despite facing David Lawrence in fading light, but that was common amongst top West Indians at the time. Viv Richards always wore his cap, confident in his ability to either evade the short ball or hook it to the boundary. Of course, not everybody has the sharp eye and reactions of a Viv Richards.
Lawrence said later that he was immeasurably comforted by Simmons telling him a few days later at a hospital visit that it wasn't the bowler's fault. Of course it wasn't, just as the delivery from Sean Abbott wasn't intended to kill his opponent. Yet the NSW paceman is only human and it's only natural for him to wonder if Hughes would still be alive if the ball had been slower, or fuller. Yes, he probably would - but this is cricket and what happened was a cruel twist of incredibly bad luck. Well set in his innings, Hughes had defended well against some short-pitched stuff then, for once, appeared to change his mind mid-shot and turned away only for the ball to strike his head just below the helmet. As soon after he crashed face first into the pitch it must have been a nightmare to have been one of those fellow players or spectators. Yet who could have thought that in this day and age, a top-class batsman like Phillip Hughes, popular around the world, would never speak again.
So what should be done to prevent a repeat? Ian O'Brien's excellent article on ESPN cricinfo, was written a day before Hughes' death was announced. However, his delving into the psychology of a fast bowler and his use of the bouncer, remains valid. The short ball must remain part of the game, no question. There may be calls for its ban, but to turn cricket into the equivalent of a summer beach game with a tennis ball would destroy cricket as a world sport. Golf goes on despite the occasional tragic death of a spectator by an errant drive or a player by lightning strike. Rugby hasn't been emasculated despite career-ending broken necks and even deaths of amateur players.
Unforeseen accidents afflict all walks of life, whether in sport or walking down the street. Mark Boucher must have stood up to thousands of deliveries before a bail decided to leap into his eye before he had time to blink. Such incidents can happen to anyone and mercifully they are rare. If anything there could be further developments in the design of protective headgear, which would be applauded.
Cricketers the world over must read the news of Phillip Hughes and think "There by the grace of God..." and for a while there will inevitably be reluctance by fast bowlers to dig one in, or indeed for a tendency for batsmen's hearts to more readily skip a beat at the sight of a ball leaving the bowler's hand a few milliseconds late, spearing into the pitch and rearing up towards head height. In particular, Sean Abbott will be more psychologically scarred by this incident than anyone else. At 22, and only recently elevated to the Aussie ODI and T20I sides, he has his whole career ahead of him. Phillip Hughes would almost certainly have played again for his country, too. Had he had the chance to do so, I'm sure he would have shaken Abbott's hand and forgiven him. That's sport. I just hope that, as we remember the life and career of the man from Macksville, we also support Sean Abbott, avoid knee-jerk reactions and allow cricket to recover.
