Steve Smith Remembers Phillip Hughes, Recalls His Emotional Struggles

It has been five years since former Australia batsman Phillip Hughes passed away in tragic manner after being hit by a bouncer while he was batting. Hughes died at the age of 25 after being struck by a bouncer while batting for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match on 25 November, 2014 against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

He was wearing a helmet, but the ball struck an unprotected area just below his left ear. Hughes sustained a brain hemorrhage and died two days after the incident as he could not regain consciousness at a nearby hospital. And as the cricketing world once again remembered Hughes, his former teammate Steve Smith recalled the tragic time.

The former Australia skipper, who had led the country for the first time soon after Hughes’ death, recalled those days and said that cricket was not at all in focus. Smith was leading Australia against India in Adelaide right after Hughes’ passing away. Smith had scored a century and had famously ran towards the mark where 408 was inscribed on the ground and raised his bat to remember his best mate.

“It was kind of a care free week if that makes sense, cricket wise,” Smith said in Adelaide. “It was sort of like, this is actually almost irrelevant in a way. We’re just going out and doing what we were doing and we actually played really well. But it was literally like we were just playing because that’s what we’re here to do. There wasn’t really any sort of too much emotion around our performances and how we wanted to play if that makes sense.

He further recalled the fond memories of the century he scored against India as well as the tribute he had paid to his former teammate.

“Batting wise some pretty fond memories. I think I played well, got a 162 I think it was. And I remember getting my hundred and going over to the 408 on the ground and raising my bat and paying tribute to our mate we lost a few days before. I think some of the boys here were pretty close to Phil and five years actually it’s gone pretty quick. I dare say some of the boys will reflect and think about our little mate that’s for sure.

“You have little moments that come up every now and then, things that remind you of him and things like that. Comes up every now and then,” said Smith.

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