Ex-South Africa pacer Vernon Philander's brother tragically shot dead in Cape Town

Former South African cricketer Vernon Philander put out a statement on Wednesday confirming the death of his younger brother Tyrone  Philander. The prolific all-rounder and his family issued a statement via the official Twitter account of Loud House Media, the content hub of media, marketing and communication professional Gasant Abarder. The statement was posted on Loud House Media's Twitter account.

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South African cricketer Vernon Philander's brother shot dead

Tyrone Philander, the brother of Proteas all-rounder, Vernon Philander was shot dead in the family’s hometown of Ravensmead, South Africa on Wednesday. Vernon confirmed the sad news on Twitter on Thursday in an official statement, in which he was quoted as saying: “Our family is coming to terms with the brutal murder in my hometown of Ravensmead earlier today. I would like to ask that the family’s privacy be respected during this difficult time." He has asked fans to give the family some space to absorb the shock of losing their son and brother.

In his statement, Philander also wrote that - “The murder is now the subject of a police investigation and we respectfully ask that the media give the police the space to conduct a thorough investigation. There are no details around the incident at the moment and speculation will make it very difficult for us as a family to mourn in peace. Tyrone is forever in our hearts. May his soul rest in peace.”

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According to local reports, Tyrone Philander was transporting a tanker of water to someone in the neighbourhood, on Wednesday afternoon, October 7, when the incident took place. According to reports, Philander's mother and other family members were in their house closeby at the time and raced outside when the shots rang out through the neighbourhood. Vernon Philander has two other brothers, Brandon and Darryl. 

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Vernon Philander's South Africa cricket career

Vernon Philander retired from international cricket in December 2019, playing his last Test match for South Africa against England, on January 24, 2020. After making his international debut in 2007, at the age of 22, Philander played 64 Tests and 30 ODIs for South Africa. He scored 1,779 Test runs and 151 ODI runs for South Africa, and 4,941 and 1,418 runs respectively in First Class and List-A cricket. He had signed on with English county side Somerset this year but the deal did not go through on account of the coronavirus pandemic. 

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Image Credits: AP