Family and cricketing fraternity extends tribute to Philip Hughes on his 10th death anniversaryFamily and cricketing fraternity extends tribute to Philip Hughes on his 10th death anniversary

New Delhi: Phillip Hughes’ family and the cricketing fraternity have paid an emotional tribute to the late cricketer on the 10th anniversary of his passing coming on Wednesday.

There was a moment of silence observed during the ongoing Sheffield Shield clash between New South Wales and Tasmania at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the place where Hughes was fatally struck on his neck while attempting to hook off Sean Abbott in 2014.

“Phillip was a loving, humorous and an infectious person to be around. He always aimed to make those around him smile and enjoy the little things in life, where his beautiful smile would come to life. “

“He shined bright even in the tough times, which is a testament to who he was as a person, and we loved everything about him. He was the light of our lives. Phillip had a profound love for his family and lived his life with respect to everyone around him.”

“Phillip, the small-town country boy, became an Australian Test, One-Day and Twenty-20 cricketer, where he played on the toughest pitches around the globe, alongside the toughest of cricketers on the world stage, but never forgot where he came from and who helped along the way.”

“He was a unique individual that took risky and adventurous strides to conquer the dreams he set for himself to become test baggy green number 408. He played cricket for all the right reasons and had the ability to take it all in his stride. He loved being a part of a team and representing Australia for the game he loved so deeply,” said his mother Virginia, father Gregory, brother Jason, sister Megan and extended family members in a public statement.

Abbott was visibly emotional whilst standing amongst his teammates in a minute’s silence for Hughes, whose life will be celebrated in the form of a documentary named ‘The Boy from Macksville’, and is going to be broadcasted on December 6, after first day of second India-Australia Test comes to a close on day two.

“We hope we have been able to showcase that dreams really do come true and you will enjoy seeing his family, friends and teammates give more of an insight into his career from his baggy blue, baggy red, baggy green and many more moments in-between including unseen footage that can be watched for generations to come.”

“We hope between the biography and documentary, young cricketers around the world and everyone that was with Phillip along the way, will see the hard working, dedicated, devoted and rare cricketer he was. His extraordinary talent is known by many but his lasting impression of who he was as a person will always be remembered, which makes us extremely proud of him.”

“Phillip was always proud of the younger cricketing generation he met along the way and was always hoping he could be an inspiration, no matter where you were from and that is also our hope. We want to share our appreciation to everyone who has respected our privacy and wishes throughout the last decade and continuing to do so at this time.”

“Thank you for being on this journey with Phillip, he loved taking everyone along with him on this ride, living out his childhood dreams. Phillip, we love you, we miss you and we are forever proud of you. We think about you every day and we are so thankful you were ours. Thank you for being the most extraordinary son and loving brother,” concluded his family.