How Phillip Hughes has unified the whole cricketing fraternity

Phillip Hughes

The cricket world has always been a unifying discipline where teams from different nations, different backgrounds and different religions, speaking different languages, compete as equals. The cultural mix, social interactions and, most importantly, the enhancement of the cross-cultural communication are all encapsulated in this sparkling sport.

With the recent death of Phillip Hughes, the whole world is full of grief in the hearts; the loss of such a promising player has not only touched the cricket fraternity but people, students and various professionals, as well.

From schools to cricket grounds, from Asia to Europe, at every corner there were tributes given to the Australian batsman.

Most noteworthy and jiggling were the tears of Michael Clarke, Australia and the whole world. “Words cannot express the loss we all feel as a team right now,” he said in a brief press conference held in Sydney. "Apart from when he was home on the farm with his beloved cattle, Hughesy was at his happiest playing cricket for his country with his mates," Clarke said.

"The world lost one of its great blokes this week and we are all poorer for it. Our promise to Hughesy's family is that we will do everything we can to honour his memory," the Australian captain added. "His legacy of trying to improve each and every day will drive us for the rest of our lives."

Harbhajan Singh, his fellow Mumbai Indian teammate, said: "He was a fighter, a very determined guy. He was a great guy to have in the dressing room. He gelled well with the team (Mumbai Indians). A lot of players were attached to him. He will be dearly missed.”

New Zealand are on fire in the ongoing Test match against Pakistan with Brendon McCullum smashing the fastest Test century by a Kiwi player ever, with initials “PH” on his shirt. The grief generated by Hughes’s loss, apparently, has been channelled quite effectively by the New Zealanders.

The most heart-breaking farewell came from Nick Compton who lived with Hughes in London. He took to his Twitter account to say, “Cuz I miss you so much, never has someone had such an impact on my life, my career, my outlook. devastated and upset. Love you bro.“

Queen Elizabeth II had sent a private message of condolence to the Hughes’ family, while Elton John paused during a concert in Germany to dedicate a song to the young cricketer. "I want to dedicate this song to the memory of Phil hughes and to the Australian team and all the cricketers in Australia who knew him, because he gave me so much pleasure," he said.

The Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott said in a statement: “His death is a very sad day for cricket and a heartbreaking day for his family.”

“The touring Indian team joins the cricketing fraternity across the world in offering condolences to the family of Phillip Hughes, who has departed from our midst. In this moment of grief, we pray that they are bestowed with divine strength to overcome this unfortunate tragedy. As fellow cricketers we cherish the memories of playing along with him and deeply respect his contribution to the game of cricket,” the Indian cricket team said in a statement.

Moreover, cricket teams all over the world have paid tribute to Hughes by wearing black arm bands and observing a two-minute silence ahead of their respective games, and it is not just limited to international level.

“My heartfelt condolences to the family of Australian cricketer Phil Hughes on the sad demise,” tweeted the Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi, whereas Sania Mirza took to her Twitter account to say, “Just heard.. What a sad day in sport.. Sometimes life is just not fair.. Prayers :(”

From Hughes’ home to the famous Lord’s ground, flowers, bat and cap tributes did the rounds, melting the hearts of the cricket world.

The scenes were more powerful than words when Pakistanis and New Zealanders rested their respective green and black caps on their bats before the start of the play. “Phillip Hughes 63 not out” became the trending hashtag on social media platforms such as Twitter.

The emotions and feelings of anguishness couldn’t have been more intensified, with the whole world coming together in the mourning of his death: Google Australia homepage paid tribute to the young fellow, artists like Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and many more expressed their sorrow, and the #putoutyourbats trend of putting bats with caps outside every home of every person related to any profession spread across.

This gesture of a collective tribute shows the compelling side of cricket, where a sport can unify people from such diverse classes, backgrounds, cultures and professions. It not only teaches you to play in the same ground as others but have respect, love and compassion towards the people from other nations, cultures and races, as well. And it not only promotes discipline and respect but, most importantly, sends out the message of equality to the whole world.