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Phillip Hughes 7th-youngest Test cricketer to die

Hughes is also the second and youngest T20I cricketer to pass away.

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Phillip Hughes was just three days shy of his 26th birthday © Getty Images
Phillip Hughes was just three days shy of his 26th birthday © Getty Images

By CricketCountry Staff

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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