Phil Hughes.......Terrible

Maybe it was you, yer b'stard!

The reason I've always thought it was Goughie is we were playing Monk Bretton and the lad in question was about a year older than me, which is Goughie's age. I didn't recognise him as Darren Gough at the time, I had no idea who Darren Gough was, but the game always stuck in my head so when Goughie was making a name for himself I thought he could have been the lad in question.

We weren't a very good team, but neither were any other teams so we won some, lost some. Every team seemed to have a bowler who was pretty accurate, but quite slow and someone who would run in at 100 mph but you didn't know whether the ball would be in line with the wicket or 10 yards outside the slips. And as you got further down the bowling order you'd lose the accuracy and the speed. This lad was much faster than any of those who came steaming in and more accurate than all the measured bowlers.

Me, I was predominantly a fielder. And I wasn't much cop at that.

 

Wasn't me mate. Never played for Monk Bretton. Played against them a couple of times and the one time I got in to bat against them Goughie got me for a duck. Batting wasn't my strong point. I was the sort of lower end batsman who never played a ball on its merits. Everything to me was a potential boundary, regardless of the team situation. I was never the most popular person to have to come in if the batsman at the other end was on 49/99 but we only needed 4 or so to win the game...

 

I hardly think this is an appropriate time to be questioning and analysing Phil Hughes technique and weaknesses.

RIP fella.

 

Very sad and so unlucky that he's apparently only the 2nd cricketer to ever die this way. That's why people shouldn't overeact asking for all kinds of changes to the rules. It was a sad freak accident. Batters should always keep their eye on the ball. You can't get complacent thinking you will be OK just because you've an helmet on and all you have to do is shift. Sean Abbott should be in our thoughts too for how badly he's taken the situation when it wasn't his fault.

 

100% right.

 

I feel for Abbott, this accident will probably put him off cricket for good, unfortunately.

I can't see him bowling another ball the same after this, and it will surely be in his mind for every delivery in the future if he ever plays again.

 

Dreadful news. Such a sad day.

Best wishes to Hughes' family and Abbott.