10.00 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweets about Hughes’ funeral India’s Prime Minister tweeted about the funeral and said that the Australian cricketer will be missed. 9. 50: Ceremony ends with ‘Don’t let the sun go down’ Father Michael Alcock closes the ceremony. He tells mourners: “May Phillip go forward to his place of rest.” The ceremony ends with Elton’s John’s “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” then plays over the loudspeakers inside School Hall. The casket carrying Phillip Hughes is now being carried from the hall of Macksville High. The pallbearers are Clarke, fellow cricketer Aaron Finch, Hughes’ father Gregory and brother Jason, as well as Corey Ireland, Mitchell Lonergannd and his former housemate, Matthew Day. 9. 30 am: Michael Clarke pays an emotional tribute, breaks down A tearful Michael Clarke paid an emotional tribute to Hughes. He told mourners, “He (Hughes) would definitely be calling me a sook right now. I don’t know about you, but I keep looking for him. I know it’s crazy but I expect any minute to take a call from him. Or to see his face pop around the corner.” “Is this what we call the spirit? If so, then his spirit is still with me and I hope it never leaves,” he said. Closing his tribute, Clarke fought back tears. “This truly must be what they call ’the spirit of cricket,’” he said. “We must cherish it, we must learn from it, we must dig in and get through to tea. And we must play on. “So rest in peace my little brother, I’ll see you out in the middle.” Former Australia bowler Dirk Nannes praised Michael Clark’s funeral eulogy to Phillip Hughes on Twitter: Ex-Australia cricketer Damien Fleming has joined Dirk Nannes in praising Clarke’s tribute: 9. 10 am: Hughe’s sister Megan delivered a heartbreaking eulogy “Phillip, I’m so honoured to call you by brother, best friend and my hero. All the memories between us will keep us together, Even though you physically can’t hug your little sister in the time of need. I will always remember and admire that you never changed and became someone different while your life and career were progressing before your years. I’m sorry you can’t be here with us any longer, but I promise all the dreams and thoughts we had together, I’ll continue in your honour.” Impact Shorts More Shorts WWE SummerSlam 2025 Night 2 results: Cody Rhodes beats John Cena in wild title match 9. 05 am: Brother Jason read a letter to his big brother Brother Jason reads a letter to his little brother, he said this is the ‘most important letter he will ever write.’ “There has been a lot said this week … (but) I couldn’t have asked for a better little brother. From a very young age you were destined to be our rock star.” “You had the looks, you had the hair,” he read. “I’ll take good care of mum, dad, Megan and of course your beloved cows. “I promise to get back on the horse and play the game we both love. I’ll endeavour to become the best player I can be. “Now it’s time to say goodbye. Take care. I miss you. I’m so proud of you,” he read. 9.00 am: ‘Phillip was a young kid from the country who dared to dream big’ Family eulogies to Phillip Hughes have begun. The cricket star’s cousin Nino Ramunno said, ‘Phillip was a large baby.’ He remembered the 25-year-old as a “one of a kind, a young kid from the country who dared to dream big” and who showed if you set your mind to it “you could achieve greatness”. He added that the first words his Italian grandfather said when laying eyes on him was “buffoon” - translated as large - leading to Hughes’ nickname “Boof”. 8. 37 am: Funeral service begins for Hughes The service begins for Hughes as cricketer Michael Clarke breaks down into tears. Meanwhile, acoustic version of Alphaville’s Forever Young is playing as the funeral party make their way into the hall. Sir Richard Hadlee, Dean Jones, Justin Langer, Mike Hussey are present at the service. Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri are also present. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 8. 15 am: Bowler Sean Abbott at Hughes farewell 22-year-old Sean Abbott was doing what he always does for his state New South Wales, bowling fast, when Hughes misjudged a pull shot at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday and collapsed to the ground unconscious after being hit on the base of the skull. He is present at the farewell. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD “That lad is absolutely shaken and broken at the moment,” he told Fox Sports, while former Australian captain Mark Taylor said he would be haunted by the incident. “He’s got no questions to answer but I`m sure he`ll be feeling some guilt today and probably will be for a long time,” he said. 8.10 am: Prime Minister Tony Abbott arrives in Macksville Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has arrived in Macksville. The premier could be seen greeting mourners outside School Hall ahead of the start of the ceremony. 8. 00 am: Hughes’ 63 not out In Perth, the WACA scoreboard has been updated to reflect Phillip Hughes’ 63 not out, alongside some of Western Australia’s top Australian players. 7. 40 am: Vatican cricekt team honors Hughes before funeral The Vatican’s cricket team has honored Australia’s Phillip Hughes with a memorial Mass in Rome on the eve of his funeral in Australia. Team captain, the Rev. Anthony Currer, presided over the Tuesday evening service at the Venerable English College, the main English seminary in Rome. He said the team wanted to show its closeness to Hughes’ family “bringing his life before God and bring it to our prayer”. Four team members, wearing their trademark yellow team blazers over their priestly collars, attended as did the Australian ambassador to the Holy See John McCarthy, an avid cricket fan who eulogized Hughes. 7:30 am: More than 5000 expected at Hughes funeral in Macksville Mourners, led by Australia captain Michael Clarke, are converging on the small rural town of Macksville ahead of Wednesday’s funeral service for Phillip Hughes, as the test cricketer’s birthplace becomes the focus of a nation’s attention. Clarke arrived by helicopter Monday and will act as a pallbearer at the funeral, which will be attended by past and present cricketers from throughout the world, as well as by politicians and other dignitaries, and televised live throughout Australia. [caption id=“attachment_1826565” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The late Phillip Hughes. Getty Images[/caption] Hughes’ former Australia test teammates will be present to pay their last respects and to further express the grief that has wracked the team since the 25-year-old batsman died Thursday, two days after being hit behind the left ear by a short-pitch delivery during a domestic match at the SCG. More than 5,000 mourners are expected at the service in Macksville, which has a population of less than 3,000 people. They will include many of the greats of Australian and world cricket. There will be three former Australian captains and greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, Sir Richard Hadlee from New Zealand, India’s stand-in captain Virat Kohli, team director Ravi Shastri and coach Duncan Fletcher.