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It is now over seven months since Phillip Hughes died as a re-
sult of a head injury sustained during a Sheffield Shield match.
The death of the 25-year-old batsman, the first of its kind in
over a century, sent the cricket world into unprecedented
mourning. After the tributes, there naturally came a time of
reflection as players, administrators and fans tried to adjust
their vision of a game that had just become deadly.
As the Ashes unfold in England, Hughes’ death is still a major
part of the narrative. English bowler James Anderson believes
that the way the two teams will conduct themselves will be
influenced by what happened to Hughes. “People talk about
it,” he said. “I think when we get out in the field we’ll make sure
the game’s played in the right spirit”.
Hughes’ death may not be enough to keep things dignified on
the pitch, and it is not at all clear how it will actually change
cricket. This was not caused by spiteful, targeted short balls.
Phillip Hughes was unlucky to a terminal degree, and under-
lined the fact that cricket is a dangerous sport.
One aspect of the sport that is being re-evaluated is how it
protects its players. Obviously, helmets have become central to
how cricket can avoid a repeat.
Cricket collectively sees this horrible death as a stroke of poor
fortune. Soon after the injury, Cricket Australia’s doctor Peter
Brukner reported the “injury, called a subarachnoid haemor-
rhage, occurs when an artery is compressed and splits, forcing
blood into the brain area. Only one case had previously been
reported as a result of a cricket ball. It was an injury to the neck
that caused haemorrhage in the brain,” explained Brukner.
“The condition is incredibly rare.”
The injury occurred when Hughes was attempting a pull shot
against a short ball. His neck was unprotected: in fact, most
producers have no helmets designed to protect the side and
back of the neck.
Indeed, the producer of the helmet, Masuri, was quick to
explain why Hughes was not effectively protected. “The model
Hughes was wearing does not offer as much protection to the
PHIL HUGHES’ DEATH:
THE FALLOUT
BY TIMOTHY MOTTRAM
38
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ISSUE 21 | AUGUST 2015