All eyes were on paceman Sean Abbott at the SCG on Wednesday, while players from New South Wales and Tasmania held a moment of silence for Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes.
It’s been exactly 10 years since Hughes died at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, surrounded by family and friends, three days before his 26th birthday, but for Abbott, life had to go on.
The batsman from Macksville, New South Wales, never recovered from a devastating head injury he suffered after an Abbott bouncer hit him in the head while he was playing in a Sheffield Shield match for South Australia against NSW at Sydney Cricket Ground.
On Wednesday morning, Abbott appeared visibly upset during the minute’s silence.
He was consoled by teammates Josh Philippe and Chris Green after the emotional tribute as he wiped tears from his eyes.
Players passed the plaque commemorating Hughes as they left the Members Pavilion and entered the field.
Sean Abbott was in tears on Wednesday after observing a moment of silence for Phillip Hughes with teammates
Hughes was hit in the head by a short ball from fast bowler Abbott on November 25, 2014. He died in hospital two days later.
Among those in attendance were Australian international cricketers Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry.
Flags flew at half-mast and players on both sides wore black armbands at the SCG, as they have done across the country in this week’s Shield matches.
Hughes’ family have said they hope his heroics and character will be an inspiration to younger cricketers.
“He shone brightly even in the tough times, which is a testament to who he was as a person, and we loved everything about him,” the family said in a statement released by Cricket Australia on Wednesday.
‘He was the light of our lives. Phillip had a deep love for his family and lived his life with respect for everyone around him.”
“Phillip was a loving, humorous and infectious person to be around,” Hughes’ family said.
‘He always strove to make those around him laugh and enjoy the little things in life, where his beautiful smile would come to life.’
Hughes’ family hopes The Boy From Macksville, a documentary about his journey, will further honor his life after its release on December 6.
Phillip Hughes’ family described the popular cricketer as ‘the light of our lives’
“We would like to thank everyone for supporting this effort and everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to celebrate Phillip’s life,” said the family, including his father Greg, mother Virginia, sister Megan and brother Jason.
‘We hope we have been able to show that dreams really do come true and that you will enjoy watching his family, friends and teammates provide more insight into his career from his baggy blue, baggy red, baggy green and many more moments in between, including unseen images that can be viewed for generations to come.’
The documentary follows an official biography released in November 2015.
“We hope that between the biography and the documentary, young cricketers around the world and everyone who was along the way with Phillip will see the hard-working, dedicated, dedicated and rare cricketer that he was,” the family said.
“His extraordinary talent is known to many, but his lasting impression of who he was as a person will always be remembered, which makes us immensely proud of him.
“Phillip was always proud of the younger generation of cricket he met along the way and always hoped he could be an inspiration wherever you came from, and that is our hope.”
Hughes, 25 at the time of his death, played 26 Test matches for Australia between 2009 and 2014, representing NSW and South Australia in the first-class ranks.