Phillip Hughes was set for Test recall before tragic death
The cricketing fraternity will observe the 10th death anniversary of Phillip Hughes's tragic demise later this month. Notably, former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann has made a heartbreaking revelation ahead of the same. Lehmann revealed that Hughes was on the cusp of a Test recall just days before his untimely death in November 2014. The young left-handed batter had been out of the Test side for nearly 18 months after the 2013 Ashes.
Lehmann recalls the tragic incident
On November 25, 2014, a bouncer struck Hughes on his neck while he was batting for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match. He died of a rare cerebral hemorrhage two days later, just three days shy of his 26th birthday. Lehmann revealed that Hughes was set to replace Chris Rogers in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy during the 2014/15 season.
Lehmann's emotional journey to hospital
Lehmann recalled the moment he heard about Hughes's injury and said he rushed to the hospital immediately. "I was in the office (next to Allan Border Field) and they said Phil's been hit. When we saw the video of that and he's gone straight to hospital, I literally flew straight down," Lehmann said. He said his rush to Hughes was an emotional one.
Clarke reflects on Hughes's impact
Michael Clarke, who was Australia's captain then and was present when Hughes's life support was switched off, reflected on how his passing affected him. "Losing Phillip at such a young age is a big part of my life. I cherish my life a lot more now than I ever did," Clarke said. He stressed how this tragic incident has made him value his journey more.
Hughes's friends honor him with centuries
In a moving tribute to their late friend, Clarke, David Warner, and Steve Smith all scored centuries in their first Test match after Hughes's death. The match against India was played two weeks after the tragic incident in Adelaide. Australia won the series 2-0. Clarke had said he wished he had appreciated his time playing for Australia more while he was still active.
