A talented young life tragically ended; a gifted and exceptional cricketer who will no longer delight crowds across the world. The loss of a team-mate, friend, partner, son, brother; the death of Phillip Hughes has affected many people in many different ways.
– VIDEO: Australia says goodbye to Phillip Hughes
– VIDEO: Mark Taylor and Wally Edwards pay tribute to Phillip Hughes
– Thousands turn out for funeral of Australia cricketer Phillip Hughes
Grief has extended well beyond the shores of Australia or the boundaries of cricket, with respects paid to a man taken in the act of doing something that also defined him as a person.
Hughes was not the most well-known individual in a sport only really played by a handful of countries, but at the same time his cruel passing has a struck a chord with anyone who has ever picked up a bat, racquet or ball of any shape.
The game will take considerable time to heal. Nothing has ever hit the cricket world this hard but, if anything, the last week has confirmed it as the most dignified of sports.
The simplicity but poignancy of the ‘#putoutyourbats’ campaign social media campaign was fittingly started by a fan and extended to some of the titans of the game. Few had met Hughes, many may have not even seen him play, but there was a realisation that what happened to him could have happened to anyone doing the very thing they love.
Few within the game knew him as well as Australian captain Michael Clarke, whose friendship extended beyond the dressing room or the 22 yards between wickets.
Clarke referred to Hughes as his “brother” in yesterday’s heartbreaking eulogy as the pair go back to their early teens. His mate no longer with him. Not able to celebrate by his side, share tales of batting endeavours with or talk nonsense with out in the middle.
Everyone experiences loss in their lives, but few are forced to display their grief in public. Yet that is exactly what Clarke has had to endure over the last seven days but, like the foundations which underpin his sport, he has done it with incredible dignity, honour and strength throughout.
It is often said that being captain of the Australian cricket team carries a greater responsibility than that of Prime Minister.
Clarke’s appointment in 2011 to succeed Ricky Ponting was not without its critics or sceptics. He had been typecast as a playboy, who enjoyed the celebrity lifestyle and trappings of fame enough for it to diminish his ability on the field.
The perception was that he was ‘a bit soft’ and perhaps didn’t have the mental fortitude to lead his country.
Nobody could ever have forecast what has happened over the last week but any who questioned Clarke’s credentials as a leader of men have been resoundingly answered.
Within 24 hours of Hughes’ death, Clarke was obliged as captain and friend to address the media and speak on behalf of the family. Visibly distressed, he somehow maintained his composure to deliver a statement that was as heartfelt as it was heartbreaking.
Two days later he was penning a warm tribute in Australia’s Sunday Telegraph. These weren’t platitudes without thought; these were raw emotions from someone who knew Hughes best, not just as a cricketer but as a bloke.
During one press conference there was a moment when he had to pause and whisper to himself, “do your job”, revealing the professional and the personal struggle within. Clarke, though, battled on.
His words to Sean Abbott should not be understated either.
Whether or not the 22-year-old returns to the game is a decision entirely for himself but Clarke’s honesty in reaching out to him publicly can do nothing but help guide him back.
Brave stuff from the skipper @MClarke23 today: http://t.co/qQxD4NA9PG #RIPPhillipHughes pic.twitter.com/AwvVmermKo
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) December 3, 2014
Australian cricket has gifted the game with some of the strongest men to have ever wielded the willow: Steve Waugh, Allan Border and Ponting to name three. Clarke can be placed among that canon.
It can often take the very worst to bring out the very best in people and Clarke is no longer just an exceptional batsman and captain, he has become a statesman.
He will, of course, take nothing from such a statement, which seems frivolous and trivial amid such great personal loss.
But at the same time he must also know he did his country, his sport, and most importantly of all, his mate proud.
