Sean Abbott was seen wiping away tears as family and friends paid tribute to the late Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes on Wednesday to mark the 10-year anniversary of his tragic death after being struck on the neck while batting. Abbott bowled the fatal delivery that struck Hughes during a Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and South Australia in 2014 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
NSW players consoled Abbott as they stood for an emotional tribute, including observing a minute's silence, before the start of play on day four of their Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania at the SCG. Hughes, who played 26 Tests, 25 ODIs and one T20I for Australia, lost his life three days before his 26th birthday.
Players in the Sheffield Shield have been wearing black armbands in matches since Saturday as a tribute to Hughes. "Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the passing of our treasured son and brother, Phillip Joel Hughes," the family said in its message. "Phillip was a loving, humorous and an infectious person to be around."
According to reports in local media, Abbott was consulted in advance about whether he would be comfortable with a match being scheduled on the anniversary of one of the most saddest moments in Australian sports.
The family further said, "He always aimed to make those around him smile and enjoy the little things in life, where his beautiful smile would come to life. He shined bright even in the tough times, which is a testament to who he was as a person, and we loved everything about him. He was the light of our lives. Phillip had a profound love for his family and lived his life with respect to everyone around him."
Cricket Australia had planned in advance a series of initiatives to mark the 10th anniversary of Hughes' death including a tribute before the start of the second Test between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval scheduled from December 6-10.
"Phillip, the small-town country boy, became an Australian Test, One-Day and Twenty-20 cricketer, where he played on the toughest pitches around the globe, alongside the toughest of cricketers on the world stage, but never forgot where he came from and who helped along the way," the family said in the message. "He was a unique individual that took risky and adventurous strides to conquer the dreams he set for himself to become Test baggy green number 408. He played cricket for all the right reasons and had the ability to take it all in his stride. He loved being a part of a team and representing Australia for the game he loved so deeply."
Cricket Australia, which has produced a special documentary on him, will broadcast it ahead of the second Test between India and Australia, as part of a two-week commemoration programme.
Batting on 63, Hughes collapsed before receiving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and was subsequently taken to Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was placed in an induced coma. Hughes, however, could not recover from the blow and died on November 27. The left-hander was viewed as one of the promising Australian cricketers as the team went through a transitional phase.
In the Australia-India Adelaide Test that followed his death a decade ago, the southpaw was named as the home team’s 13th player with 63 seconds (the score he was batting at in his last match) of applause observed ahead of the game.
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