The phrase “It’s not cricket” is commonly used in countries that play the sport to denote moments or actions that are against the spirit of the game. It’s not a sports term, it’s a way of life. Do wrong by somebody and you hear “That’s not cricket, mate.” It’s impossible to understand why this safe, largely-passive game has seen two tragedies and deaths in the span of a week, but one thing is certain: It’s not cricket.
It’s not cricket
Two deaths in as many weeks have people questioning whether cricket is safe, and if freak accidents can be mitigated.
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James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Australian cricket star Phillip Hughes was playing in a match when a ball struck him in the neck, rupturing an artery and resulting in his death. If anyone should have gotten hurt playing the game it was us, the people who play recklessly and without care. Not one of our heroes. Not Phillip Hughes.
Cricket is the "safe" sport, the game parents push their children towards when they're too afraid of them playing rugby. Before last week there were only nine recorded on-field deaths in the 400 year history of cricket. Just five of these were as a result of being struck by a ball. Hughes' tragic death has led to renewed motivation to make an already safe game safer, balancing those ideals with the grim reality that devastating things happened.
Bowler Sean Abbott isn’t to blame for his bouncer, not by a long shot. Short-pitched deliveries are a part of the game and a fundamental strategy. This isn’t like intentionally beaning a player as retribution; it’s as widely used a tactic as pitching inside to get a batter to back off the plate. The same principles apply, and in any given match you’ll see scores of these bowls. Some will achieve their desired effect, others will be hooked for six. It’s part of the ebb and flow of the game.
It required a near-incalculable number of factors to cause Hughes’ death. Now cricket is left to balance a freak injury with ensuring this never happens again, all while keeping the spirit of the game intact.
I haven’t met Hughes, but as a man who grew up in Australia I know what his life was as a construct. He was the future of Australian cricket, a man kids idealized and could have canonized by Aussie cricketing lore by capturing the near-impossible job of captain. If you grew up in the early ‘90s it was Ricky Ponting, the late ‘90s Michael Clarke, and there was a chance he would be next in line.
I’ve probably watched Michael Clarke’s statement a hundred times, guided by emotion and frozen out of shock. Almost a week later I still can’t watch it without tears streaming down my face.
It’s strange to grieve for someone you never met, but sports has that strange effect on us. Cricket fans hopes, and prayed that we’d never see anything like this again -- and those wishes were honored, for two days.
With much less attention and international recognition, 55-year old umpire Hillel Oscar was killed in a similar freak accident when a ball was hit and happened to strike him in the chest and neck. Oscar, unlike Hughes, wasn’t wearing any protective padding when he was struck by the ball. This will almost certainly result in tighter regulations for officials, and ensuring they are wearing helmets -- at the very least.
This season will be unlike any other, especially in Australia. The anticipation of a test series in the hot summer sun will have a dark cloud over it. Cricket is always made fun of for being the sport where nothing ever happens. This week, its fans wish that were true.
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