No one can Phil in for him

Prior to Phillip Hughesrsquo untimely passing in 2014 I suspect that most cricketers felt that by walking through the gate they might get injured but never killedFollowing Hughesrsquo tragic accident that line of thinking changed dramaticallyA 2016 New South Wales coronial enquiry concluded no one was to blame for Hughesrsquo death That investigation only served to confirm just how unlucky Hughes was to suffer a terminal injurySensibly Cricket Australia CA decided to implement a safety revue following this Sheffield Shield tragedy Imagine my surprise when I asked CArsquos CEO James Sutherland whether the revue included technique ldquoI donrsquot knowrdquo came back Sutherlandrsquos surprise reply When I eventually obtained an answer from a CA employee technique was not included in the revue This is nonsensical as the quickest way to improve safety is for a player to develop a good technique to combat the shortpitched deliveryThe 10year anniversary of Hughesrsquo demise is a timely reminder of what he meant to the Australian players I spoke to former Australian opener David Warner a good friend who acknowledged Hughesrsquo image at the Sydney Cricket Ground every time he walked past the dressing room wallWarner described Hughes as a player who was ldquoflamboyant at times with a good defence and the mentality of a stroke makerrdquoAs a character Hughes was popular with other players because of his loyalty and ability to make them smile and keep the game in perspective When Hughes a man off the land in northern New South Wales spoke about cattle Warner remembers him saying ldquoYou keep feeding them and they get fatrdquoWhen players asked Hughes if he was going to join them for a round he would laughingly respond ldquoWhy would I play golfrdquo Warner explained how difficult it was to play the Test match following Hughesrsquo passing ldquoWe were all very shaken uprdquo recalled Warner ldquobut we asked ourselves what would Phil want We decided he would want us to playrdquo said Warner ldquoand that was part of the healing processrdquoThat process worked well for Warner who scored a memorable century in each innings Australia finished up winning a thrilling Test against India as Virat Kohli also produced skilful twin tons The game featured both teams honouring Hughes by standing in remembrance as the clock ticked 408 his Test player numberWarner admitted that for the rest of his career it was eerie how he would occasionally glance at an Oval clock and the time would show 408 At other times hersquod check the scoreboard and somewhere therersquod be the figure 63 the final score Hughes was on when he was hit at the SCG ldquoIt was uncannyrdquo sighed Warner ldquobut he was always with usrdquoHughes had an upanddown career with the highlight being a century in each innings of the Kingsmead Test It was only Hughesrsquo second Test and he faced a quality South African pace attack of Dale Steyn Morne Morkel Makhaya Ntini and Jacques KallisWarner said there was a large expectation lumped on to bright prospects However he explained ldquoHughesrsquo final average didnrsquot reflect the quality of player he wasrdquoHe displayed his quality and versatility in scoring two limited overs centuries for Australia In 2014 he reconfirmed his ability by making his highest firstclass score of 243 not out for Australia AHughesrsquo mammoth score looked as though it would result in yet another recall to the Australian Test side Sadly this never occurred as just a few months later he suffered that fatal blow while batting for South Australia in the SCG Shield matchThe passing of Phil Hughes is a stark reminder of the danger that players face on the cricket field However there is only one response to the occasional preposterous suggestion that the bouncer be eradicated from the game ldquoIf you want to avoid the risk of injury then donrsquot walk through the gaterdquoFormer Australia captain Ian Chappell is one of the leading voices in world cricketClayton Murzellorsquos Pavilion End column will be back next weekThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper