Phillip Hughes never recovered from the blow received by Sean Abbott. The entire round’s play for the Shield had been called off. Hughes was rushed to hospital, had an emergency surgery done on him, and passed away three days before his 26th birthday.
A 23-year old Archie Jackson — the man who was claimed to be a parallel to Don Bradman — had been claimed by tuberculosis in 1933. No other Australian Test cricketer had died at a younger age. In fact, only six other Test cricketers had passed away at a younger age. Barring Jackson and Hughes the other five are Manjural Islam Rana, Ben Hollioake, Cyril Christiani, Trevor Madondo, and Guy Kempis. Kempis had died in anonymity in Mozambique; his obituary was not carried in Wisden.
Shortest-lived Test cricketers
Player
Country
Date of birth
Date of death
Age
Reason
Manjural Islam Rana
Bangladesh
May 4, 1984
March 16, 2007
22 years 316 days
Car crash
Archie Jackson
Australia
September 5, 1909
February 16, 1933
23 years 164 days
Tuberculosis
Ben Hollioake
England
November 11, 1977
March 23, 2002
24 years 132 days
Car crash
Cyril Christiani
West Indies
October 28, 1913
April 4, 1938
24 years 158 days
Malaria
Trevor Madondo
Zimbabwe
November 22, 1976
June 11, 2001
24 years 201 days
Malaria
Gus Kempis
South Africa
August 4, 1865
May 19, 1890
24 years 288 days
Unknown
Phil Hughes
Australia
November 30, 1988
November 27, 2014
25 years 362 days
On-field blow
Hughes is also the sixth-youngest One-Day International cricketer (and the youngest Australian) to die. Manjural, Hollioake, and Madondo are there on the list. Stanley de Silva and Maurits van Nierop (who was found dead in front of a high wall and is suspected to have suffered a blow on the head, having slipped while climbing the wall) are the others on the list.
Shortest-lived ODI cricketers
Player
Country
Date of birth
Date of death
Age
Reason
Manjural Islam Rana
Bangladesh
May 4, 1984
March 16, 2007
22 years 316 days
Car crash
Stanley de Silva
Sri Lanka
November 17, 1956
April 12, 1980
23 years 147 days
Motorcycle crash
Ben Hollioake
England
November 11, 1977
March 23, 2002
24 years 132 days
Car crash
Trevor Madondo
Zimbabwe
November 22, 1976
June 11, 2001
24 years 201 days
Malaria
Maurits van Nierop
Netherlands
May 11, 1983
September 24, 2008
25 years 136 days
Mysterious blow on head
Phil Hughes
Australia
November 30, 1988
November 27, 2014
25 years 362 days
On-field blow
Runako Morton was the first Twenty20 International (T20I) cricketer to die, at 33 years 226 days, from a car crash. Hughes is the second and youngest T20I cricketer to pass away.
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