Inquest into Hughes’s death commences in Sydney

10/10/2016

A week-long public inquest into the death of Australia cricketer Phil Hughes commenced in Sydney on Monday, almost two years after the left-handed batsman was struck on the back of the neck during a domestic game.

Hughes was hit by a rising Sean Abott delivery while batting for South Australia against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Nov 25, 2014 and died two days later in a Sydney hospital.

The NSW Coroner’s Court will review the circumstances surrounding the incident to determine whether the 25-year-old’s death could have been avoided. The court will also consider evidence on the “nature of play” during the match, the medical and emergency response to Hughes’s injury as well as whether protective equipment might have prevented the blow being fatal.

Cricket Australia has already implemented the recommendations made in a 62-page report that the body commissioned from a senior lawyer which was released in May.

The Curtain Report recommended that players be forced to wear helmets when facing fast and medium-paced bowling even if it concluded that such protection would not have prevented the batsman’s death.

“We never want to see a tragedy like this happen on the cricket field, and to that end we have the utmost respect for the coronial inquest process that we will need to go through this week,” Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland told reporters outside the court.

“We won’t be providing a running commentary dealing with specific issues through the week, but we do hope something good comes from this process,” he added.

Inquest into Hughes’s death commences in Sydney

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