SYDNEY: The death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes was likely “inevitable” after he was struck by a ball, an inquest heard Monday as it raised concerns about on-field sledging and short, fast deliveries.
Hughes, who played 26 Tests, died from bleeding on the brain in November 2014 after being hit on the neck by a rising ball while batting in a domestic match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
“Quite clearly the death was a terrible accident,” Coroner Michael Barnes said at the opening of the five-day inquest. “But that does not mean that cricket cannot be made safer.”
The death of the 25-year-old, who had risen through the ranks to play for his country, stunned Australia and the world cricket community, sparking an outpouring of grief.
In her opening address, counsel assisting the coroner Kristina Stern said Hughes had been excited about playing that day, with his mother and sister in the stands, as he worked to regain a place on the national team.
He had opened the batting for South Australia in the domestic Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales and was playing well.
But he tried to hook a delivery from Sean Abbott which hit him in the neck, causing him to step to the side before collapsing to the ground face first.
