Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died on Thursday in Sydney's St. Vincent's Hospital after a freak accident while playing the "gentleman's game." Hughes was struck by a ball under his left ear during a domestic match on Tuesday and collapsed on the spot, according to Time.
Though cricket is only played by about 15 countries, the deluge of support and grief has spread globally for the 25-year-old whose official cause of death was "dissected vertebral artery," according to News.com.au. "The ball is small so the actual pressure is like a bullet effect," Edouard Ferdinands, head of many sports biomechanics research programs at Sydney University, said.
Peter Brukner, the Australian team doctor, called the cause of death "incredibly rare" and said the injury has only been reported in cricket once before, according to News.com.au. Only 100 cases of injury by vertebral artery dissection have ever been reported, Brukner said.
"This was a freakish accident because it was an injury to the neck that caused a hemorrhage in the brain," Brukner said, according to News.com.au. "The condition is incredibly rare."
"We are devastated by the loss of our much loved son and brother Phillip," the Hughes family said in a statement read by Australian team captain Michael Clarke, according to The Telegraph. "Cricket was Phillip's life and we as a family shared that love of the game with him."
Australia is scheduled to play India at Brisbane next week, but the game might not go on. A practice match with a reserve squad has already been cancelled, according to Reuters. The Hughes family will have a say in deciding if the international match will happen.
"Cricket will go on and it will go on when we're ready," Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland told reporters outside the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), according to Reuters. "To be honest, we haven't broached that subject with the players yet. We will in time, but to be honest, they've got other things on their minds."
"I know for many people, seven days doesn't seem too far away but in other ways it is a million miles away," Sutherland continued according to Reuters. "We will get there when we can."
"We've been in constant contact with the officials from the Indian Cricket Board and I've got to say that their understanding and empathy has been absolutely outstanding," Sutherland said later, according to Reuters."They completely understand the situation and they're doing everything they can to do that. They will prepare themselves in the best way possible."
Twitter is awash with #putoutyourbats photos depicting cricket bats displayed at fields or outside homes across the globe in a visual sign of respect and mourning.
