The controversial inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes is over. Now Australian cricket needs time to heal and implement the lessons learned.
Hughes was felled by a bouncer from NSW quick Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield cricket match against South Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on November 25, 2014.
Hughes collapsed to the ground comatose. An ambulance took Hughes to St Vincent’s Hospital where he lay in intensive care until life support was ended two days later. A post-mortem revealed the ball had ruptured an artery in his neck. From then on death, it was found, was inevitable.
The likeable test star’s popularity was evident in the outpouring of public grief. Inevitably fans wanted to know what had happened, why, and if it might have been avoided.
An inquest had to be held but Cricket Australia launched its own independent review, conducted by a barrister, David Curtain QC, whose report was announced in May this year.
Mr Curtain “recommended that all first-class cricketers be compelled to wear a protective helmet that meets stringent British safety standards at all times when facing fast or medium-pace bowling in matches and at training.”
A memorial to Phillip Hughes at the new @TwitterAU offices #PutOutYourBats #SpreadOurWings pic.twitter.com/9EqZ4P8iwg
— Graham White (@GWhiteOz) February 4, 2016
The inquest began on October 11 at Sydney’s Downing Centre courts and ran for five days in which the Hughes family sat through confronting evidence about the incident and conflicting reports of the circumstances.
Key issues addressed by the court were:
- The dangers of short bowling: allegations were made that Hughes was targeted by his New South Wales opponents.
- Sledging on the day: were threats made against Hughes?
- The safety equipment available to players: could Hughes’s life have been saved by a different helmet?
- The time it took for an ambulance (20 minutes and 10 seconds) to reach the ground and get Hughes to a hospital.
The topic that attracted most headlines on day one was the alleged sledging of Hughes on the day he was struck. The family lawyer told the court his clients had been told the NSW fast bowlers had deliberately targeted Hughes with high balls and that NSW quick Doug Bollinger had told Hughes during play “I’m going to kill you.”
Phillip Hughes parents have stormed out of the inquest as Cricket Australia's counsel dismisses "I'll kill you" sledge claim.
— Daniel Sutton (@danielsutton10) October 14, 2016
Bollinger was asked, “Did you say that?” He replied: “I know in my heart I didn’t sledge Phil.”
Despite the coroner’s comment, the antagonisms and division between Hughes’s family and the cricket establishment were apparent during the hearing when the family were seen shaking their heads in disbelief a s NSW cricketers said no malice was displayed on the pitch. At one point the family stormed out of the court, showing their disgust.
So what has the inquest taught us?
Coroner Michael Barnes unveiled his findings on November 4, saying that “no-one was to blame” for the tragic death of Hughes.
Mr Barnes found that Hughes was targeted by fast bowlers, but they showed “no malicious intent”; he also noted that Hughes was a highly skilled batsman, competent to face such bowling. He was scathing about the common practice of sledging, saying that while it played no part in Hughes’ death, it demeaned the game of cricket and was unworthy of players.
He made four recommendations to improve cricketer safety and ensure swift and efficient responses to future incidents:
Recommendation 1 – Cricket Australia review dangerous and unfair bowling laws & they continue to look at neck protectors as a safety device
— Justice NSW (@NSWJustice) November 3, 2016
Recommendation 2 – cricket Australia identify a neck protector that can be worn in all first class cricket matches
— Justice NSW (@NSWJustice) November 3, 2016
Recommendation 3 – Cricket NSW review its policy governing the daily medical briefing to ensure key staff are aware of its purpose.
— Justice NSW (@NSWJustice) November 3, 2016
Recommendation 4 – training of umpires be reviewed so they can ensure medical assistance is summoned effectively and expeditiously
— Justice NSW (@NSWJustice) November 3, 2016
In Cricket Australia’s response CEO James Sutherland said CA will implement the coroner’s findings.
Sutherland also touched on the sledging accusations against Phillip:
“Sledging can be in the spirit of the game and it cannot not be, it just depends on your definition of sledging and I think certainly on-field banter is something that’s always been part of the game.
“But when that banter turns to abuse or anything like that then it crosses the line into something different and that’s not in the spirit of the game and that’s why the Code of Behaviour for Cricket Australia and international cricket deals with those issues.”
Hughes’ parents, Greg and Virginia, issued their response in a statement accepting Mr Barnes’s findings:
“Greg, Virginia, Jason and Megan … have noted the four recommendations made by the Coroner, and Cricket Australia’s commitment to implement them. They are deeply hoping that no other family has to go through the pain of losing a loved one on an Australian sporting field.
“As the Coroner has noted, Phillip’s death has led to changes that will make cricket safer. The Hughes family hopes that this will be part of Phillip’s legacy to the game that he loved so dearly.”
For the cricketers who gave evidence – out of their comfort zone in an alien arena – the inquest became an unwanted examination of their motives and integrity. In the end, it seemed the inquest was into the spirit in which cricket is played rather than the death of Phillip Hughes.
An editorial in Brisbane’s Courier Mail highlighted that issue:
“Despite Mr Barnes’ declaration that what happened at that terrible moment on the cricket pitch was an accident, he has overseen a court in which the line of questioning has not primarily been about equipment or rules or procedures, but has instead put men on the stand in an accusatorial environment where they have been asked to answer to their intentions when they stepped out on the field. To a man, they have answered they stepped out to play good cricket and to win a Sheffield Shield match.
“Let’s face it. Cricket is not an inherently safe game.”
The Australian’s legal affairs editor, Chris Merritt, was even more outspoken:
“… while the coroner won’t be trying to regulate the media, it looks like his inquiry could be turning its focus to something just as irrelevant: the nature of the game.
“He needs to think this through. If this inquiry leads to a call for a reformation of the laws of cricket, it would undermine the credibility of what he finds about the real causes of Hughes’s death. That would make this man’s end a double tragedy.”
At the end of the day, the inquest is over: time for Australia to move on from that tragic accident.
As Claire Harvey wrote in the Daily Telegraph, Doug Bollinger, Sean Abbott and their teammates didn’t kill Phillip Hughes.
“Sometimes, hard as it may be, we must accept the cold, comfortless truth” – that competitive sport is fraught with danger and accidents happen. – Jesse Mullens
Image distributed by Cricket Australia after Hughes’s death.
About the author
I am the sports editor for the Macleay Newsroom. I enjoy cooking and watching sport intently.
