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Phil Hughes' tragedy echoes as young Aussie cricketer dies after getting hit on the neck

Poulomi Chakraborty

Ben Austin passes away (Source: @TheCricketerMag/x.com, @cricketvictoria/x.com)Ben Austin passes away (Source: @TheCricketerMag/x.com, @cricketvictoria/x.com)

For every aspiring cricketer, cricket is a dream with a silverware, but often the game brings cones with the biggest heartbreak. Amid countless shining moments in cricket’s history, the tragic death of Australia’s Phil Hughes remains an everlasting scar on the sport’s soul.

Eleven years later, the heartbreaking memory resurfaced. Young Australian talent Ben Austin tragically lost his life after a fatal neck injury.

A teenage dream ends in a heartbreaking injury

In the cricket world, dreams and heartbreaks are two sides of a similar coin. As the injuries are a part of the game, some of them cost lives. In 2014, Australia lost Phil Hughes in an unfortunate injury, and that horrifying memory resurfaced recently. With a serious injury, Australian cricket lost a youngster who could have been the nation’s next superstar.

Aussie teenager Ben Austin from Melbourne lost his life after a fatal injury in the nets at Ferntree Gully Cricket Club. During practice, a ball from the wanger struck him on the neck, the one spot left unprotected. Though wearing a helmet, the absence of a stem guard proved fatal, turning a routine session into a heartbreaking loss.

Cricket Victoria’s head Nick Cummins confirmed the heartbreaking tragedy. He said, “The ball hit him in the neck in a similar accident that Phil Hughes suffered 10 years ago,” he said.

Mike Baird's heartfelt words

Ben’s tragic death has shaken the entire world as the entire Australia was saddened by the mishap. Speaking to the reporters in Melbourne, Cricket Australia’s Chairman Mike Baird reflected on this moment. 

“The tragic circumstances of Ben and Ferntree Gully are...going to be felt across the country. Cricket is a sport that brings people together, communities together. It's also one that feels very deeply an incident such as we've seen,” he said.


“Hard to put words on it. What we want to say is that we are doing everything we can to support the family, the club, and all those impacted by this tragic news. Clearly, there are things that we have to learn from this, but right now, we are concerned about the family and trying to support them in every way,” he added.

As the entire nation is still in shock at the unfortunate incident, Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria have taken a heartwarming initiative. Standing by the grieving family, the boards are offering full support and assistance to help them.