Australia and New Zealand wear black PH armbands paying tributes to Phil Hughes

To respect the wishes of Phil Hughes’ grieving family, the remembrance during the 1st day of the third Test between Australia and New Zealand was low key compared to last year’s Adelaide Test which occurred just a week after the young batsman’s death. Players from both teams wore black armbands and during the tea break, a tribute package was played on the big screen at exactly 4.08pm – Hughes’ Test playing number and a message reading ‘Remember 408’ was displayed on the big screen.

Hughes passed away on November 27, 2014, after being struck on the head by a bouncer and that day ‒ one of the darkest in cricket’s history ‒ was remembered with low-key but moving tributes at his family’s request. It is unknown whether batsmen will recognize the 63 mark as they did last year in honour of Hughes’ final score at the SCG.

At the SCG – the scene of Hughes’ final innings – there will be no minute’s silence for the Sheffield Shield match between NSW and Queensland, however, players – many of whom were there that fateful day – will also wear black-arm bands while flowers and a bat were also left outside in tribute.

The Australian captain Steve Smith paid personal tribute to Hughes at Adelaide last year when he brought up a hundred, and recalled the challenges of playing a game so soon after losing a close friend and team-mate. “Obviously it was a pretty difficult time for us all coming here last year just after the horrible incident happened,” Smith said.

NSW skipper Moises Henriques summed up the feelings well and said, “For the guys that are closest to him, every day has been a tough day. Tomorrow is just another one. He’s not just someone you forget about. It’s not like it’s a reminder for a lot of the guys in the team, that’s something you play with every day, having (lost) one of the blokes that you played with and loved.”

The Hughes’ anniversary also holds special significance for the New Zealand team who showed enormous respect to the left-handed opener during the Test they played against Pakistan that coincided with the time of his death. Black Caps cricketers did not celebrate wickets they took during that match. Captain Brendon McCullum has admitted that the tragic incident heavily influenced their decision to approach the game with a greater spirit and ban sledging.

New Zealand now has a global reputation for their sportsmanship and players have been inside the Australian sheds after the past two Test matches for drinks.

“It’s not going to be an easy time for anyone involved. We’ll take the lead from the Aussie guys on it and be as respectful as we possibly can be. I’m sure it will be a nice tribute and everyone will be pretty comfortable with it,” said McCullum.

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