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Phillip Hughes death will not affect batting approach, says Alastair Cook Phillip Hughes death will not affect batting approach, says Alastair Cook
(about 2 hours later)
Alastair Cook insisted the shocking death of Phillip Hughes would not change his approach to batting as his England side prepared to play Saturday’s one-day international against Sri Lanka in memory of the Australian. Wherever cricket is played on the globe there has been an outpouring of grief and sorrow at the death of Phillip Hughes over the last two days. And that most definitely includes Sri Lanka.
Cook admitted the intensity of the match would be affected by the tragedy and the En gland captain revealed talks took place between the two sides over whether the match should go ahead at all. On the eve of the second one-day international in Colombo, Alastair Cook spoke simply and powerfully about the last few traumatic days for cricket and cricketers. He insisted that in the long run the terrible accident in Sydney would not change how the game was played, while acknowledging that in the immediate aftermath of such a tragedy it may be difficult to summon up the usual intensity on the field.
Hughes died on Thursday at the age of 25, two days after being struck on the neck by a bouncer while batting for South Australia against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He added that there was leeway for those especially close to Hughes in the England side – Moeen Ali, Steven Finn and Eoin Morgan were county colleagues – to withdraw from Saturday’s match if that is what they wished to do, though the chances of this happening were very slim. The England and Wales Cricket Board and the Professional Cricketers Association are providing support networks for their players and they have been used by some of the touring players.
A sombre-looking Cook said: “It was a really sad day yesterday, a tragic day for cricket. Words I say here aren’t going to do anything justice, it’s an incredibly sad changing room for us and all our thoughts are with Hughes’s family and those Australian players who knew him so well. “It was a really sad day, a tragic day for cricket and words I say here aren’t going to do anything justice,” said a grim-faced Cook. “Ours is an incredibly sad dressing room and all our thoughts are with the Hughes family and those Australian players who knew him so well.”
“I think naturally it [the intensity of the sport] will probably [be affected] tomorrow. I know discussions went on about whether we should be playing tomorrow and I think both sides agreed out of respect we should carry on playing and show our respects in the right way for Phil and try and put on a good show.” He confirmed that a postponement of the second one-day international had been considered: “There were discussions about whether we should be playing but both sides agreed that we should carry on and show our respects to Phil and try to put on a good show.”
Cook said his tactics for the match would be unaffected, saying: “I think if you are going to play a game you’ve got to do it properly.” Both teams – Cook’s outlook had earlier been mirrored by the Sri Lanka captain, Angelo Mathews – are aiming to play with the competitiveness that any international match warrants, however difficult that might be. “I don’t think we should change how we play cricket at all,” said Cook, “because I don’t think that’s the right way to go about it.
He added that it would be down to individuals whether they wanted to play and revealed such a tragic example of the dangers of the sport would not alter the way he played the game. “We’ve got to make sure we keep working as hard as we can with the [helmet] manufacturers and the authorities to make cricket as safe as we can but I certainly wouldn’t change the way I play.”
“I don’t think we should change how we play cricket at all, because I don’t think that’s the right way to go about it,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure we keep working as hard as we can with manufacturers and the authorities to make cricket as safe as we can. This is a real reminder to everyone that we can’t take anything for granted. Cook added that improvements in safety have been significant even during his time as a player. In theory this has been the safest era in which to play cricket. Even so he acknowledged that “this is a reminder of how dangerous the game can be, and how we cannot take anything for granted. It’s also a reminder of how precious life is and how lucky we are to be playing cricket.”
“We’ve got to keep trying to improve player safety, even though I think the improvements even since I’ve started playing cricket have gone through the roof, especially helmets and in technology. We’ve just got to keep working as hard as we can. Cook said he would remember Hughes as “an outstanding talent”, destined to be “a fantastic player for Australia”. He revealed that Hughes was one of those opponents that he could chat easily with once the contest was over: both left-handed opening batsmen – “though we probably went about things [at the crease] in a very different way” and both passionate about farming and the country.
“I certainly wouldn’t change the way I play. It’s a natural thing how you play and you cannot have those doubts in the back of your mind when you walk out to bat, because you won’t be playing very well. This incident has prompted much talk of “the family of cricket”, a notion which Cook is prepared to recognise especially in the current climate when emotions are raw. “We might all be playing for different sides, different countries, but we’re pretty much the same guys, just trying to do our best for our teams at the sport we love.”
“I know it’s not right talking about it right now, but the game of cricket will move on, but it’s a real reminder to everyone how precious life is and how lucky we are to be playing cricket.” No one involved in cricket will forget that the last few days in a hurry. Every cricket lover, whatever his or her station, has been prompted to pause for thought and that includes the England captain, who may now even conclude that he does not have quite so many ponderous burdens on his plate.
Cook said he would remember Hughes as an “outstanding talent” destined to be a “fantastic player for Australia”. “For me the last three days have clarified that it is just a game of sport,” said Cook, “and that we are incredibly lucky to be playing it. And there is a massive responsibility to do that the right way. Yes, we play hard, but in the right way.”
He said the fact they were both left-handed openers and from farming backgrounds gave them common ground, saying: “We probably went about things in a very different way but still picked each others’ brains.”
Cook added: “We might be playing for different sides, different countries, but we’re pretty much the same guys, just trying to do our best for our teams at the sport we love.”