Counselling has been offered to players from South Australia and New South Wales following the serious injury that has left Phil Hughes in an induced coma fighting for his life, with tributes and messages of support pouring in for the batsman.
Hughes, 25, was on Tuesday night in a critical condition having been hit on the neck by a bouncer that missed his helmet during a Sheffield Shield match. He underwent emergency surgery at St Vincent’s hospital, with paramedics performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and treating the left-hander on the boundary for 40 minutes.
Sean Abbott, the 22-year-old bowler, has been offered counselling along with all those involved in the match at the SCG, which was abandoned. Well-wishes for Hughes were prevalent on Tuesday while support for Abbott also emerged, with Adam Gilchrist urging the bowler to “stay strong” and Glen McGrath writing on Twitter: “Our thoughts are also with Sean Abbott.”
Cricket Australia said on Tuesday morning that the outcome of Hughes’ surgery would not be known for between 24 and 48 hours. The Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive, Alastair Nicholson, said: “We were obviously shocked to learn of the seriousness of the incident involving Phil. While we have faith that he’s receiving the best available treatment, the situation will impact his family, friends, and those directly involved on the field.
“The ACA is therefore working closely with CA to arrange the appropriate counselling for those affected. Naturally our thoughts are with him and we wish him well from all the ACA members.”
Tributes for Hughes and his family flooded in from across the cricketing world. The England captain, Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann were among many to voice their support.
The Australia Test captain, Michael Clarke, immediately travelled to St Vincent’s while the opener David Warner, who was fielding for New South Wales at the time, joined Hughes in the vehicle that drove him off the pitch. Hughes’ mother and sister were in the stadium at the time and travelled with him to hospital.
Warner tweeted: “Thoughts are with my little mate Hughesy and his family. He is a fighter and a champion and he will get through this. Praying for you buddy.”
Shane Warne said: “Just heard the news about Phil Hughes, thoughts & prayers are with you & your family. Hang in there buddy, we are all fighting with u!!!” and the Cricket Australia chief executive, James Sutherland, added: “It sends shudders through you a little bit. Pleasingly there was medical attention he was able to receive immediately at the ground.”
Hughes, who has played 26 Tests for Australia and 25 one day internationals, was described as “a great fighter and a great young man” by the Australia coach, Darren Lehmann.
He was wearing a Masuri helmet when Abbott’s delivery struck him on the back of the neck, turning his head after a failed attempt to pull the ball, stooping briefly before falling to the ground. The issue of helmet safety was raised following the incident and the manufacturer released a statement describing the back of the head as a “vulnerable area”.
“Following the injury to Phil Hughes, Masuri is actively seeking as much TV and video footage of the incident as possible, to be able to see more conclusively exactly where the player was hit,” said the organisation in a statement.
“Masuri would immediately like to join with the world of cricket in wishing Phil Hughes a full and speedy recovery. From footage and pictures currently available to Masuri, it appears that Phil Hughes was struck by the ball to the rear of the grille and below the back of the shell, missing his Masuri Original Test model helmet.
“This is a vulnerable area of the head and neck that helmets cannot fully protect, while enabling batsmen to have full and proper movement.”
