Teenage cricketer killed by ball remembered as ‘classic Australian child’ amid debate over neck guards

17-year-old not wearing neck guard when fatally hit in practice netsCricket officials say priority is Ben Austin’s family and boy who threw ballTeenage cricketer Ben Austin has been remembered as a “classic Australian child” and “a very bright light that has been dimmed” after he was killed by a ball hitting his neck in a practice session, in an incident in Melbourne on Tuesday described as similar to the death of former Test player Phillip Hughes in 2014.The 17-year-old was wearing a helmet but not a neck guard, and while the incident is likely to trigger calls to make such protection mandatory at the community level – as it already is among elite players – cricket officials said the priority must be around supporting Austin’s family and the boy who threw the ball with a training tool known as a sidearm or “wanger”. Continue reading...

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Cricketer dies, aged 17, after being hit in neck by ball

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