“I remained on the field until after Phillip was placed on the medicab”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

In the ongoing inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes, Sean Abbott recalled the day he bowled the fatal bouncer that struck Hughes on the side of the neck and led to him passing away at the age of 25.

In a Sheffield Shield match on November 25, 2014, Abbott, who was playing for New South Wales, delivered a bouncer to Hughes, who was representing South Australia, that ended up hitting him.

Hughes suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage and was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery immediately. However, despite this, he was unable to recover and died two days later.

Abbott, who was not required to appear in the witness stand, issued a statement, in which he said that the first thing he remembers was the fact that Hughes was already through his shot before the ball had arrived.

“I think Phillip was a bit early through the shot,” he wrote. “If a batsman is early through the shot, it makes me think that the ball is slower than they had anticipated.

“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. 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.

“I remained on the field until after Phillip was placed on the medicab and then returned to the change room. 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.

“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.”

The inquest has heavily questioned players about whether an excessive amount of short balls were bowled at Hughes and whether any inappropriate language was directed his way.

But, like Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger, David Warner and Tom Cooper, who was Hughes’ batting partner on that day, Abbott didn’t recall anything out of the ordinary.

“I do not recall anything unusual about the day prior to the incident when Phillip was struck and I do not recall anything unusual about the bowling that day or in the lead-up to the incident,” Abbott wrote. “I do not recall any particular instructions being given to the NSW team at lunchtime on that day, or any discussion about a specific plan for the period after lunch, although there would have been a team chat.

“I cannot recall anything that suggested that either Phillip or Tom were uncomfortable before the incident and I cannot recall anything that indicated that any bowling tactics were making inroads on them. I felt the game that day was being played within the laws and spirit of cricket.

“I cannot say that backchat is common, however, it is common for bowlers to talk to batsmen in the sense of having a competitive chat. For example, bowlers can let batsmen know that there are no fielders in a particular area and that they should hit the ball there. However, I cannot recall any sledging that day, nor do I recall any complaints being made about sledging.”

Abbott also touched on the subject of bouncers, saying that the laws of cricket shouldn’t be changed to eradicate them as “there will always be risks in the game”.

“I know there is a suggestion that the laws of the game be changed so that bouncers should not be bowled, but the same cricket ball will be hit and flying around whether bouncers are bowled or not. There will always be risks in the game,” Abbott wrote. “Nothing stands out to me as a change that should be made to cricket, except for maybe some more protective equipment and training on what to do if someone gets hit.”

Meanwhile, Abbott also wrote about his respect for Hughes and the fact that they made their Twenty20 International debuts together against Pakistan in Dubai on October 5, 2014.

“I always looked up to Phillip. He was a tough competitor,” Abbott wrote. “I always knew that I would have to work hard to get him out. I don’t think I had ever got him out.”

The inquest continues until Friday.