Cricket captain sacrifices personal milestone to pay tribute to Phillip Hughes
In a Ballarat Cricket Association (BCA) division two match between Haddon and VRI Delacombe, on Saturday, Haddon captain Shaun McArthur opted for a surprising declaration to his team’s innings when on 220 not out at the crease, sacrificing a chance to break the club record for the highest individual score ever – which is 231.
Later, McArthur revealed that an accidental look at the scoreboard made him realise that calling off the play then would be an appropriate tribute to Australian batsman Phillip Hughes, who died at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, on Thursday after being hit by a bouncer on his head during a Sheffield Shield game on November 25. The scorebard read 408/6 in 63 overs (408 – Hughes Test cap number and 63 – his score in his last innings)
Haddon spokesman Vincent McDonald admitted that they were initially in the dark about the turn of events and were later explained by their captain the rationale behind arriving at the decision. He added: "Everyone walked up and shook his hand."
"It was a chance innings. You can't plan to have scores like this 220 runs for a player and 408 (total) in the standard of cricket we play.
"Shaun must've just noticed the score and thought, 'That'll do'."