KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC- A minute of silence will be observed before the start of the third round of the Professional Cricket League (PCL), as a form of tribute to emerging Australian batsman Philip Hughes who died on Thursday, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has announced
Hughes, who was in a critical condition in a Sydney hospital, passed away two days after being hit on the head by a short ball from Sean Abbott during South Australia’s Sheffield Shield clash with New South Wales.
A WICB statement has called on all players and match officials to wear a black armband during their matches which begin today.
“To honour the memory of our fallen colleague and show solidarity with our friends in Australia, we have asked that a minute’s silence be observed prior to the start of all matches in the third round of the WICB Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day Tournament tomorrow – and that all players and match officials wear a black armband during the match.” The WICB statement said.
“This is truly a tragic loss of a fantastic young player who promised to deliver so much for Australia and who has already done so much in proving his pedigree as a top flight batsman on the international stage”.
The WICB said that it was extremely sad to hear of the passing the 25 year old cricketer following his injury.
“It was with a sense of shock and sorrow that we learned of the death of Philip Hughes and I know that these feelings are shared by all who knew him and played with or against him,” WICB President Dave Cameron said.
“There is little one can say at such a time, but we would like to express our very sincere sympathy to his family, friends and all those involved with the game in Australia”.
Elsewhere, other former West Indies cricketers namely Brian Lara and Phil Simmons have given interviews paying tribute to Hughes.