Published 10:05 IST, November 29th 2019
Matthew Wade shows off Phil Hughes tattoo, says his legacy is still alive
Matthew Wade revealed in an interview that the team still missed Phil Hughes. The wicket-keeper added that his legacy was certainly alive in the dressing room.
It has been five years since Phil Hughes’ death shocked the cricketing community and fans across the globe. Hughes who was only 25 years of age at the time of his death was struck by a bouncer while batting for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match in 2014 against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
He had donned a helmet but the ball struck an unprotected area just below his left ear. Hughes sustained a brain haemorrhage and died two days later without regaining consciousness at a nearby hospital. The recently created rules of mandatory concussion test and the concussion substitute are a result of the unfortunate incident.
Australian wicket-keeper Matthew Wade was a close pal of Hughes. He made a tattoo on his forearm to honour his memory. When people ask Wade about the tattoo, it brings back the old memories in his mind.
Wade and Hughes became friends when they were 19-year-olds. They went through a similar phase in Ashes 2013 when they were trying to return to the Australian Test side.
Hughes' legacy is still alive in the dressing room: Wade
Wade revealed in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that the team still missed him. The wicket-keeper added that his legacy was certainly alive in the dressing room and he was constantly in their lives.
Australian team experienced a similar incident when a bouncer from Jofra Archer knocked over the former Australian captain Steve Smith during the recently concludes Ashes.
Wade said that when Smith got hit in the Ashes, that was a really big one for a lot of people in the dressing room. He added that he had taken the stem guards off at that stage but when he saw Smith at that time, he put them straight back on.
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He went on to say that he was thinking what his wife would have said if he went out to bat without them. He joked that she’d put a rocket up him. The Tasmanian said that there were always little things that happened throughout cricket games and throughout life that reminded them of Hughes and made them appreciate the little things.
Wade's selection into Australia's Ashes squad was questioned heavily, But he shut all his critics and vindicated his selection with two centuries in the Ashes. He also hit a fifty against Pakistan in the first Test in Brisbane. He will look to score big in the second and final Test.
Updated 11:40 IST, November 29th 2019