Melbourne, Oct 30: Ben Austin, a 17-year-old Australian cricketer, has died after being hit in the neck during a training session in Melbourne, evoking widespread grief and painful memories of the tragic passing of Phillip Hughes in 2014.
Austin was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being struck in the neck and the head area by a ball while training for his club at Ferntree Gully in suburban Melbourne on Tuesday.
Austin was facing bowlers in the nets ahead of a T20 match when the injury took place in front of his teammates.He was put on ventilator after the incident but he succumbed to his injury.
The Ferntree Gully Cricket Club confirmed the player’s death on Thursday.
“We are absolutely devastated by the passing of Ben, and the impacts of his death will be felt by all in our cricket community,” the club said in a statement.
He was wearing a helmet but not a neck guard, and the tragic incident is likely to trigger calls to make such protection mandatory at every level of the sport, like it is in top-flight cricket.
Ben Austin’s tragic passing has cast a pall of sorrow over Australian cricket. (PTI)
