Australian Cricket Star Phil Hughes Dies After Being Hit By Ball

Phil Hughes, the Australian cricket star, died Thursday, two days after he was hit in the neck by a bouncing ball during a match.

Australian cricket star Phil Hughes died Thursday at a Sydney hospital two days after being hit in the neck by a ball while batting.

Hughes, 25, was batting when a bouncer struck him in the upper neck. He was wearing a helmet, but the ball hit an unprotected area and he immediately went down.

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After CPR was performed at the grounds, he was taken to a hospital.

Surgery was performed to relieve pressure on his brain.

According to the BBC, doctors said the vertabral artery in Hughes’ neck was compressed by the ball, causing it to split and leading to what doctors called a “massive bleed” into the brain.

"“Vertabral artery dissection is incredibly rare,” said Australia team doctor Peter Brukner. “If you look in the literature, there is only 100 cases reported. There is only one previous example caused by a cricket ball.”"

Brukner said the injury was “freakish.”

Hughes was considered a rising star on the international cricket scene. He had already played 26 test matches for the Australian national team and cricketers around the world were mourning Hughes’ loss.

A planned two-day tour match between Cricket Australia and India set for Friday and Saturday has been canceled and English cricket officials postponed the release of the 2015 county championship schedule which had been set for Thursday.

Australian Cricket Star Phil Hughes Dies After Being Hit By Ball

By Phil Watson | Nov 27, 2014

Phil Hughes, the Australian cricket star, died Thursday, two days after he was hit in the neck by a bouncing ball during a match.

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