Sean Abbott reveals details about Phillip Hughes tragedy

New South Wales fast bowler Sean Abbott has revealed the details of the day when Phil Hughes’ was hit on the neck which led to his sad demise at the Sydney Cricket Ground in November 2014. On day three (October 12) of the public inquest by the NSW Coroner’s Court into Hughes’s death, Abbott’s witness statement was released.

“After Phillip was struck, I saw him start to sway and I ran to the other end of the pitch and I held the right side of his head with my left hand,” Abbott’s statement said. “I remained on the field until Phillip was placed on the medicab and then returned to the change room.

Abbott went on described what he went through after seeing Hughes falling unconscious.

“Once in the change room, I felt confused and upset. I had a headache, people kept coming up to me but I cannot remember what they said, the statement continued. “It was all a bit of a blur and I felt like I was in a bit of a daze. I felt super tired. These feelings stayed with me for the next few days.”

Recalling the fateful delivery, Abbott said Hughes was “a bit early through the shot. “If a batsman is early through the shot it makes me think that the ball is slower than they had anticipated,” the statement read. “I don’t remember the ball being fast or slow. Maybe the wicket was a little bit slower that day. That’s the type of wicket at the SCG.”

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Abbott also described Hughes as a “tough competitor”. “I always knew that I would have to work hard to get him out. I don’t think I had ever got him out,” he said. “From my experience, Phillip as a Test cricketer had a very strong cut shot.”

Abbott will not be called to testify in person at the inquest into Hughes’s death, which is set to continue until Friday.