"Thank you for being the most extraordinary son and loving brother" - Phillip Hughes family's heartfelt tribute on 10th death anniversary
November 27, 2014, remains one of the darkest days in cricket history, as the sport tragically lost one of its up-and-coming cricketers on the field. The late Australia batter Phillip Hughes died at the age of 25 after being struck on the head by a bouncer from Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield game on November 25, 2014.
After being rushed to hospital, Hughes underwent surgery and was on life support before finally succumbing on November 27. While it has been 10 years since the incident, fans and experts around the world continue to mourn Hughes' death.
On his 10th death anniversary, Hughes' family issued a heartfelt statement to Cricket Australia that read (via cricket.com.au):
"Phillip, we love you, we miss you and we are forever proud of you. We think about you every day and we are so thankful you were ours. Thank you for being the most extraordinary son and loving brother."
The statement continued:
"It is essential for us to express our heartfelt thanks, sincere gratitude and appreciation to our extended family and friends, our hometown of Macksville and surrounding towns, to the wider cricketing community in Australia and overseas and the farming community."
Hughes' death raised several questions about players' safety, resulting in improved helmets with greater protection of the neck and the implementation of concussion protocols.
A look at Phillip Hughes' playing career
Phillip Hughes was touted to be the next big thing in Australian cricket, thanks to his batting exploits in the domestic circuit.
The southpaw averaged over 45 in first-class and List-A cricket with almost 13,000 combined runs and 34 centuries in 205 outings. Hughes' overall domestic T20 numbers were just as impressive — an average of 42.69 in 34 matches.
The talented left-hander debuted for Australia in Tests during the 2009 tour of South Africa and recorded two centuries and a half-century in his first four innings. However, his numbers dwindled as he finished with an average of 32.65 in 26 red-ball games.
Hughes made his white-ball debut for Australia in 2013 in the home ODI series against Sri Lanka. Much like his Test career, he started impressively with a century on debut and another one in the fifth and final ODI.
Hughes scored 826 runs in 25 matches with an average of almost 36, including two centuries and four half-centuries. The New South Wales-born batter also played one T20I for Australia against Pakistan in 2014.