Michael Clarke fought back the tears during his tribute to Phillip Hughes at the Test batman’s funeral today.
The Australian men’s and women’s Test squads together plus major figures from the world of cricket were among thousands of mourners at the service in Hughes’s home town of Macksville.
The 25-year-old died last week, two days after being hit on the neck by a Sean Abbott bouncer in a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney.
Abbott was at the service and heard Australia skipper Clarke say: “Phillip left a mark on our game that needs no embellishment. I don’t know about you, but I keep looking for him. I know it’s crazy, but I expect any minute to take a call from him or to see his face pop around the corner.
“His spirit has touched the game, and the SCG will forever be a sacred ground for me. Phillip’s spirit, which is now part of our game forever, will act as a custodian of the sport we all love. We must listen to it. We must cherish it. We must learn from it. We must dig in and get through to tea. And we must play on.
“So rest in peace my little brother.”
The service at Hughes’ former school opened with the music Forever Young and lasted around 75 minutes, concluding with Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.
The funeral was broadcast live around Australia and on video screens at the Adelaide Oval and the SCG, where 63 bats were displayed — each with an inscription of a special moment in the player’s career. Hughes was unbeaten on 63 and closing in on a Test recall when he was struck by the bouncer.
In Pictures: Phillip Hughes's funeral
Before the service, cricketers past and present formed a guard of honour, with the hearse and funeral procession passing through them before travelling through Macksville as players and other mourners walked behind.
Australia greats Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee were joined by West Indies’ Brian Lara, former New Zealand all-rounder Richard Hadlee and England Test batsman Nick Compton, a former team-mate of Hughes at Middlesex.
Hughes’s brother Jason and sister Megan read letters to their sibling, who also played for Hampshire and Worcestershire and had already played 26 Tests after making his Test debut in 2009.
