MELBOURNE: A promising 17-year-old Australian cricketer, Ben Austin, has died after being struck by a ball during a net session in Melbourne, his family confirmed Thursday, describing themselves as “utterly devastated.”
Austin was wearing a helmet and training ahead of a Twenty20 game on Tuesday when he was hit in the neck by a ball from a throwing machine. He was immediately rushed to hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries early Thursday.
“We are utterly devastated by the passing of our beautiful Ben,” his father Jace Austin said in a statement. “This tragedy has taken Ben from us, but we find some comfort that he was doing something he loved — playing cricket with his mates.”
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Austin, a talented all-rounder for the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club, was remembered as a “star cricketer, great leader, and an awesome young man.”
The incident has drawn parallels to the 2014 death of Australian Test player Phillip Hughes, who also died after being struck in the neck during a domestic match. Cricket Victoria chief Nick Cummins confirmed the similarities, saying the ball hit Austin in a similar way.
Cricket Australia Chair Mike Baird said his heart was “broken” and stressed that lessons must be learned from the tragedy, while the entire cricket community expressed deep sorrow over the young player’s death.