Vale Phillip Hughes

[Spark]

Some memories. Seven posts coming up, because I can't post more than one per post.

 

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Watching these has been... harrowing. Glad I did it, for the obvious reasons, but... again, obvious reasons.

Never scored a Test ton at home. That didn't hit me until just now.

Also, I'm posting these here so you don't have to do what I did and scroll past pages and pages of you-know-what on youtube. People on the internet, eh.

 

[ajdude]

what an amazing touch having the junior cricket retirement score being 63 this weekend. that's got me

 

[Red]

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Another little way to express sentiment. I like it.

 

[Blocky]

Superb talent, Bradmensque in his youth - definitely one of the guys where aesthetics meant less than results, he didn't care how the shot looked, as long as it went into the gap.

I'm also pretty surprised by how tiny he was in relation to other players, he always seemed bigger at the crease.

 

[Spikey]

Remember the Pakistan SCG match. It was his first test since his Ashes dropping and after he failed in the first innings I remember him getting some ****. So he comes out to bat in the second with Australia 200 behind and he doesn't anything special. He survives, makes a start, is progressing nicely and I'm getting excited. He might make a hundred, prove the haters wrong. And then he smacks one down the ground and Danish Kaneria takes the olny ****ing good catch he'll ever take and he's out for 37. I was crushed then and I'm still crushed by it now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9veESe5jU8

 

[Spark]

Would be amazing if some of our resident GIFfers could make good ones of some of the shots in those. Don't have to, ofc.

 

[Spark]

Remember the Pakistan SCG match. It was his first test since his Ashes dropping and after he failed in the first innings I remember him getting some ****. So he comes out to bat in the second with Australia 200 behind and he doesn't anything special. He survives, makes a start, is progressing nicely and I'm getting excited. He might make a hundred, prove the haters wrong. And then he smacks one down the ground and Danish Kaneria takes the olny ****ing good catch he'll ever take and he's out for 37. I was crushed then and I'm still crushed by it now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9veESe5jU8

There was also this Test in NZ where we had to chase something puny like 100 or 110 or something. He ended up on about 85.

86, chasing 106, off 75. 1st Test: New Zealand v Australia at Wellington, Mar 19-23, 2010 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Riggins]

Would be amazing if some of our resident GIFfers could make good ones of some of the shots in those. Don't have to, ofc.

I will never ever forget that straight drive he hits at 2:12 in the first video. Remember being blown away at the time and nothing new.

 

[Spikey]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkznLmt7Of8

 

[Blocky]

There was also this Test in NZ where we had to chase something puny like 100 or 110 or something. He ended up on about 85.

86, chasing 106, off 75. 1st Test: New Zealand v Australia at Wellington, Mar 19-23, 2010 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

I remember that series well, he was in a hurry all series long looking to absolutely pound us - it was also nice to see him put some runs on against Chris Martin who had previously had his number. His square/cover drive stands out to me, if I recall he was absolutely pumping Martin through the covers repeatedly even with the ball swinging in toward him.

 

[Cabinet96]

I think one of the reasons this is so tough is because for me, and I assume many others on here, sport, and in particular cricket, has always been a way of getting away from any serious issues or whenever you feel down in life. Sure, we all care about it, and get annoyed or upset when the teams and players we like do badly. When I commit to staying up all night, only to see my favourite batsman and team fail time and time again at the hands of Mitchell Johnson it all feels ****. As it does when Arsenal concede a comical own goal to lose to Man United, or Novak Djokovic loses a grand slam final. But in the end it really is just a game, one we love, and that is confirmed by the fact we always watch the next match with the same keenness. But how can I do that now that one of my favourite players has died playing? How can we look forward to a game and contest that has caused the very thing we're mourning?

Barely a moment passes where I don't think about the passing away of Phillip Hughes. Usually in such circumstances I'd look forward to December the 4th as a distraction. Now it's just having the opposite effect.

 

[Spark]

I've asked Rob for better versions of the 160*, his SL ton and that 4th innings there btw.

I think one of the reasons this is so tough is because for me, and I assume many others on here, sport, and in particular cricket, has always been a way of getting away from any serious issues or whenever you feel down in life. Sure, we all care about it, and get annoyed or upset when the teams and players we like do badly. When I commit to staying up all night, only to see my favourite batsman and team fail time and time again at the hands of Mitchell Johnson it all feels ****. As it does when Arsenal concede a comical own goal to lose to Man United, or Novak Djokovic loses a grand slam final. But in the end it really is just a game, and our understanding of that is confirmed by the fact we always watch the next match with the same keenness. But how can I do that now that one of my favourite players has died playing? How can we look forward to a game and contest that has caused the very thing we're mourning?

Barely a moment passes where I don't think about the passing away of Phillip Hughes. Usually in such circumstances I'd look forward to December the 4th as a distraction. Now it's just having the opposite effect.

This is precisely it IMO. How do you escape from your usual form of escape?

I love the game too much for this to damage my enjoyment of it, per se, but it'll add something there that wasn't before. I suspect it'll pop up in really awkward spots too - the conversation about what we do when Rogers retires/is dropped, for example.

 

[Spikey]

Hope Rob has got some NSW stuff. ie his first bbl match The Home of CricketArchive

 

[Spark]

I will never ever forget that straight drive he hits at 2:12 in the first video. Remember being blown away at the time and nothing new.

It's the two cover drives at the start of the SL 86 which are the ones for me. **** this ugly batsman bull****, he could play some incredible looking shots when he wanted to.