The Cricket Thread 2014

[Comrade Blitz]

TBH in the video I struggled to see where/how he was struck - IMHO in this case there can be no blame towards the bowler or the game - it was a fluke 

[Ad@m]

Horrendous news.

Something has to be done about the bouncer in cricket. When Stuart Broad got struck in the face he had been facing ball after ball aimed at his head and it was inevitable one was going to hit him.

I don't know the context around the ball that hit Hughes but to have such a dangerous tactic completely unregulated can't be right.

Short pitched bowling is regulated within the laws of the game.

Re this incident, when he got hit he was on 63, he was inform.  It wasn't that quick a delivery supported by the fact that he actually got on to it so quickly that he'd got through the shot before it hit him - that's how he got hit on that back, unprotected part of the head.

These things, tragic as they are, happen in sports.  Look at Boxing, Motor Racing, Skiing, Rugby, etc all have suffered these sort of things. 

Short pitched bowling is part of the game, shocking as this is, and this is just a tragic event for everyone.

I'm sorry but that 'its part of the game', 'accidents happen' mentality is part of the problem.

What happened to Hughes isn't the bowler's fault but the fault of the cricketing authorities who allow throwing a hard ball at someone's head at 90 mph to be a legitimate tactic. 

It should be against the rules to bowl a ball above chest height but the rules are focused on how easy it is for a batsmen to score runs rather than focusing on his safety.

[OzVilla]

Cricket has been played at Test Level since 1877.  Add in the thousands of County, State and Provincial first class matches since then and the millions of balls that will have been bowled.

I may be wrong but I can't think of another example where a player has lost his life like this.

That tells me that this is a tragedy but no reason to change the laws of the game.

[JD]

Cricket has been played at Test Level since 1877.  Add in the thousands of County, State and Provincial first class matches since then and the millions of balls that will have been bowled.

I may be wrong but I can't think of another example where a player has lost his life like this.

That tells me that this is a tragedy but no reason to change the laws of the game.

Totally agree. A freak accident that is all. I've seen some malicious intent by bowlers in Cricket matches but this wasn't one of then. Just a tragic accident.

RIP Phil Hughes.

[Villan For Life]

Tragic news and guys can we leave the debate about the laws of the game for another day? It's a little distasteful at the moment.

Rest in Peace Phil Hughes.

[Bernie]

RIP Phil

[olaftab]

Very sad news indeed. I feel for his parents and siblings. This was a freak accident and we could do without comments about regulation ref bowling.

[PaulWinch again]

Absolutely tragic news I was genuinely choked when I heard. My thoughts are with the family. Any debate about the laws of the game is not for today. RIP Phil.

[UK Redsox]

It should be against the rules to bowl a ball above chest height but the rules are focused on how easy it is for a batsmen to score runs rather than focusing on his safety.

Injury (even death) can occur when the ball hits the batsman in the chest. I think that more deaths have occurred from being hit in the chest than being hit in the head.

[Ads]

This is terrible news and must be devestating for all concerned. 25 is no age at all and to die doing the thing he loved and playing in a typically aggressive way too. Very, very sad.

[Dr Butler]

25 is no age at all, RIP Phil and condolences to his family and friends.

[tomd2103]

Cricket has been played at Test Level since 1877.  Add in the thousands of County, State and Provincial first class matches since then and the millions of balls that will have been bowled.

I may be wrong but I can't think of another example where a player has lost his life like this.

That tells me that this is a tragedy but no reason to change the laws of the game.

Totally agree. A freak accident that is all. I've seen some malicious intent by bowlers in Cricket matches but this wasn't one of then. Just a tragic accident.

RIP Phil Hughes.

Genuinely shocked and saddened to wake up this morning to this news, as I really hoped he would pull through and make a full recovery. 

I agree that it was a freak accident where the ball must have just hit him in exactly the wrong spot.  I feel for his family and friends who must be finding it extremely hard to make sense of what has happened and come to terms with it.       

[paul_e]

Terrible news but, as has been said above, it's a freak accident and I hope there isn't a panic to change laws as a show of 'doing something'. Rather than worrying about I hope the focus stays firmly on helping the family, club and the bowler come to terms with this.

[adrenachrome]

Warwickshire CCC ‏@CricketingBears 46m46 minutes ago

Following this morning's tragic news, the 2015 fixture announcement has been postponed until tomorrow. More details to follow #CricketFamily

[Jon Crofts]

TBH in the video I struggled to see where/how he was struck - IMHO in this case there can be no blame towards the bowler or the game - it was a fluke 

There's a slow mo on a sports site I saw yesterday.  The ball hits him below the line of his helmet, behind his left ear and slightly down from centre of his ear.  He reacted to the bounce and crouched down half ducking it and puts his right ear toward his right shoulder thus exposing that small part of his skull that the ball tragically hits.  Truly a million to one shot.  Terrible that a 25 year old man dies playing a sport like cricket.