On Friday, the Australian cricket team wore black armbands during the second Test against India in Adelaide to pay tribute to two treasured cricketing figures: Phillip Hughes and Ian Redpath.
Remembering Phillip Hughes
The match falls in line with the 10th death anniversary of Phillip Hughes. He was just 25 and died in a tragic incident following a bouncer that had hit him on the head during a Sheffield Shield game being played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in November 2014.
To pay their respects, Cricket Australia organized a series of events, which included a moving documentary about his life screened in the stadium before play commenced. The black armbands worn by the players were another mark of respect for the talented left-handed opener who played 26 Tests for Australia.
Last week, players in the Sheffield Shield also wore black armbands, keeping Hughes’ memory alive within Australia’s domestic cricket scene.
A Tribute to Ian Redpath
The armbands also honoured Ian Redpath, the former Australia opener who passed away on December 1 at the age of 83. Redpath, a stalwart of Australian cricket, played 66 Tests and scored 4737 runs at an impressive average of 43.45 during an international career spanning from 1964 to 1976.
Redpath nearly made a century on his Test debut. He was dismissed for 97 against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He finally made his maiden hundred in 1969 when he scored 132 against a strong West Indies attack at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Besides his Test success, his first-class career was remarkable as well. He scored 14,993 runs from 226 matches and also took 13 wickets.
Australia’s Rampant Start in Second Test
Team India’s skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first despite a green surface. “We are going to bat first. Looks a good pitch, looks a bit dry at the moment, enough grass covering as well. It’ll have some carry for the fast bowlers. As the game goes on, it’ll get better to bat on. There will be something in it for everyone. It’s going to be a good game.”, he said at the toss.
However, Australia had a rather rampant start to the Test. Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc dismissed Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for a golden duck. By the time of writing, India were 22-1 in 7.2 overs.
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