Phillip Hughes' tragic, untimely death leads to safety review by Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia will “immediately” launch a review into safety protocols and protection for players after the death of batsman Phillip Hughes, the organisation’s chief executive James Sutherland said on Friday. Hughes died in a Sydney hospital on Thursday, two days after being struck by a rising delivery during a domestic match that burst an artery and caused a rush of blood to his brain that ultimately proved fatal. [caption id=“attachment_1825673” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The cricketing world mourns the death of Phillip Hughes. Getty[/caption] “Well, it is clearly – statistics say it is clearly a freak incident, but one freak incident is one freak incident too many, so that of course puts us in a position of looking into that,” Sutherland told reporters outside the Sydney Cricket Ground where Hughes was struck. “We will immediately, in consultation with the manufacturers and the other safety providers or regulators, look into it to make sure that these things are addressed and improved, and it’s a matter of interest not just for us here in Australia, but for cricketers all over the world.” Hughes was wearing an older model Masuri helmet, and the manufacturer’s managing director said this week the newer model afforded better protection that may have helped in cushioning the blow. Manufacturers told Reuters this week that no helmet was completely safe, while advances in technology were being stymied by a lack of enforcement of international safety standards and the reluctance of elite players who preferred the game’s traditional aesthetics to adopt new styles. Sutherland declined to say whether the review would look specifically at short-pitched bowling, which has been an accepted part of the game for over 100 years and regularly leaves players with broken bones and other injuries. “I think all of those things around safety need to be looked at and will be considered, but one of the things about the game of cricket is that it is a finely tuned balance between bat and ball,” he said. “That’s what the game is built on, and those things will need to be very carefully considered and I’m sure they will be in time.” Reuters