Australia cricketers to raise toast to 'absent friend' Phillip Hughes on five-year anniversary of batsman's tragic death

Adelaide: Phillip Hughes is always in his teammates’ thoughts and the Australian team will raise a toast to “absent friends” in the memory of the cricketer who died five years ago after being struck on the neck by a bouncer. In a tragic chain of events, 25-year-old Hughes died after being struck by a bouncer on the neck while batting for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney five years ago on 25 November. Three days short of turning 26, the left-handed batsman, who sustained a brain haemorrhage, died without regaining consciousness. He played 26 Tests and 25 ODIs for Australia.

"We'll toast absent friends today, I'm sure" #63notout pic.twitter.com/lHAjrNYBWL

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 27, 2019

“Time flies. I still remember, one of the worst days of our life, and we’ll toast absent friends today. I’m sure we will talk about it today when we get to the Adelaide Oval,” Langer said in a video clip posted by cricket.co.au. “How lucky we are to be playing cricket, representing our country, being in Adelaide, being at the Adelaide Oval — they’re always nice reminders. I’m sure that’s what Hughesy would like too. He will be smiling down on us somewhere going ‘just remember, you have got it pretty good you boys’.” Langer added that the Adelaide Oval has a beautiful picture of Hughes hanging in the change room and the left-hander is always present in his teammates’ thoughts. “After the T20 game here (against Sri Lanka), there’s a beautiful picture of Hughesy in the change rooms. After we had our debriefing, and we toasted absent friends. Like we do every time we walk into the change room,” Langer said.