Ben Austin, 17-year-old Australian club cricketer, died after he was struck on the neck while batting in the nets on October 28. Austin was wearing a helmet but a bouncer bowled by teammate via sidearm during warm-up for a T20 match turned fatal. The helmet did not have a stem guard and it hit Austin on the head which led to him being rushed to hospital in critical condition. After Austin succumbed to the injury, his father, Jace Austin released a statement via Ferntree Gully Cricket Club. He wants people to support the teammate who is affected by the tragic accident as well.
"We are utterly devastated by the passing of our beautiful Ben, who died earlier on Thursday morning,” said Jace in a statement.
"For Tracey and I, Ben was an adored son, deeply loved brother to Cooper and Zach and a shining light in the lives of our family and friends.
"This tragedy has taken Ben from us, but we find some comfort that he was doing something he did for so many summers - going down to the nets with mates to play cricket. He loved cricket and it was one of the joys of his life.
"We would also like to support his team-mate who was bowling in the nets - this accident has impacted two young men and our thoughts are with he and his family as well."
Cricket Australia, Cricket Victoria to help counsel those affected
Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria have joined forces to provide assistance to Ben's family, players and others impacted by the unfortunate accident.
"The tragic circumstances of Ben and Ferntree Gully are...going to be felt across the country," CA chair Mike Baird told reporters in Melbourne. "Cricket is a sport that brings people together, communities together. It's also one that feels very deeply an incident such as we've seen.
"[It's] hard to put words on it. What we want to say is that we are doing everything we can to support the family, the club, and all those impacted by this tragic news. Clearly, there are things that we have to learn from this, but right now, we are concerned about the family and trying to support them in every way."
Nick Cummins, the Cricket Victoria chief executive, said: "We're absolutely devastated on behalf of the family, on behalf of the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club, and more broadly, the Victorian cricket community.
"We are doing everything we can to support not just the family of young Ben, but also those at the club, and Ben played for a number of clubs, to ensure that they have the counselling and the support, not just today, but well into the future, as this is something that will stay with our community for some time.”
Hughes’ death left Abbott devastated
More than a decade earlier, pacer Sean Abbott was devastated after his bouncer to Phil Hughes led to the latter’s death. Abbott, who is currently part of the ODI squad, even broke down on the 10th anniversary of Hughes’ death. Hence, the call for support from Ben’s father Jace is crucial for the well-being for the young cricketer who was just helping his teammate prepare for the match in the nets.