THERE barely seems to be anything appropriate one can say after the tragic accident that led to cricketer Phil Hughes’s admission to hospital and his surgery on Tuesday for head injuries.
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I can’t imagine how the Hughes family and friends are feeling, let alone Sean Abbott, the bowler who delivered the fateful ball that struck Hughes.
Those that know Hughes best have come out this week to highlight his tough, gritty character, both on and off the pitch.
If you have any doubts about the person he is or if he’s up for a challenge, just watch Hughes’s innings of 69 against India in the third Test last year.
It’s that fighting nature that gives me confidence that he will pull through this adversity.
Just this week, on the back of Michael Clarke’s withdrawal from the first Test squad against India, Hughes’s name had been mentioned by some as a possible replacement.
During these discussions, people were concentrating on his cricketing ability, not his character.
But since the injury, people from all walks of life have offered their support for a man loved by many.
Incidents like this highlight that sports stars are mortals too.
Sport takes a back seat when freak accidents like this happen, because unless the sport itself is being discussed, it appears meaningless.
Just look at the reaction of all playing and in attendance at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
The match had to be abandoned, with players such as David Warner and Mitchell Starc, both close friends of Hughes, left inconsolable.
Phil Hughes, the cricketer, might provide us with on-screen and live entertainment, as well as something to talk about in our spare time, but the man is all that really matters when it comes to our true emotions. Phil Hughes, the cricketer, is no longer relevant to us as human beings when Phil Hughes, the man, is seriously hurt, as shown by the overwhelming support he and his family have received.
People who don’t follow sport will question what is the point of sport if something like this is going to happen.
I explain that sport is a type of theatre; one in which the script hasn’t been written yet.
There are heroes and villainous characters, along with supporting roles and bit parts that have essential roles in any narrative.
It’s these plots, characters, twists, story lines and history between the combatants that form the essential meaning of the contest.
The meaning of the contest between South Australia and New South Wales on Tuesday was a storied state rivalry in an old competition.
Hughes was playing against his former state and pushing for higher honours – a place in the national team, the highest honour you can bestow on a cricketer in our nation.
But these stories went out the window on Tuesday, because the only thing that means anything at all right now is the health of Phil Hughes. His health comes first, second and third. Whether or not he ever plays cricket again becomes a distant placing.
My deepest thoughts are with the 25-year-old from Macksville.
Get well soon, Phil.
