Cricket Australia Confirms Setting Up A Commission For Investigating Phillip Hughes Tragedy

Cricket Australia (CA), recently declared that it would perform an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of test batsman Phillip Hughes. It would be accomplished by setting up a commission to avoid a similar incidence in the future.

The 25-year-old Phillip Hughes died in an accident on Nov. 27, 2014 after being hit on the top of his neck. He attempted to pull a short-pitch delivery against the bowler Sean Abbott in a Bupa Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground but he missed. The thrust of the moving ball crushed his vertebral artery that caused it to split followed by excessive internal bleeding.

David Curtain QC, the former Chairman of the Victorian Bar Council and President of the Australian Bar Association, will chair the review. He is also a renowned Melbourne-based barrister.

Based on the instructions passed by the Cricket Australia, the review team will scrutinise the causes and circumstances that led to Hughes' injury. CA will enforce the wearing of protective equipment as a mandatory norm at any condition. This includes provisioning cricket helmets and its certification as well as ensuring the medical screening of those contracted players who are susceptible to vulnerabilities.

CA will approach the extent and appropriateness of the medical support and coverage afforded to the players. This would also be applicable for on-field support staff, including match officials during matches and training.

“This is not an exercise designed to apportion blame on any individual for what took place. It is about making sure that as a sport we are doing everything in our power to prevent an accident of this nature happening again,” said Cricket Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland in a report from cricket.com.au.

The objective of Cricket Australia is to ensure the total implementation of regulations and an endeavour to prevent recurrence of freak on-field accident. After the incident, CA has already increased the medical presence at all CA matches and worked very closely with the helmet suppliers to investigate the suitability of protective head equipment offered to all the players.

Sutherland further said that the review would help determine the requirement of implementation of any further measure(s) before the 2015-2016 season. He also said that the review would not investigate the rules and regulations of cricket unless it is specifically related to protective equipment or the management of participants who suffer from injuries of the heart or head.

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