The Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes, who died on Thursday after being hit in the head by a ball, will be honoured with a state memorial service.
The service will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground next week, the same stadium where he suffered the horrific injury during a match on Tuesday.
State memorials are normally reserved for political figures but the New South Wales Premier Mike Baird announced yesterday that Hughes, whose death has triggered a global outpouring of grief would also be afforded the honour.
"This service has been arranged in consultation with Phillip's family, and it will be an opportunity for the entire community to pay their respects to a much-loved Australian and New South Welshman," read a statement released by Baird.
Hughes' death and the effect it has had on the wider community dominated Australia's major newspapers yesterday, with sombre eulogies given for the boy raised on a banana plantation whose life ended three days before his 26th birthday.
"Nation shares the agony of an innings cut short," The Australian's front-page headline read above a picture of Hughes, with an Australian flag in the background. Sydney's Daily Telegraph blacked out its entire back page, except for a picture of Hughes, in his honour.
Government flags were at half-mast across the cricket-mad country and floral tributes were placed outside the entrance to the SCG.
Local cricket clubs were painting 408 into the turf of their grounds, the number on Hughes' national 'baggy green' cap signifying his status as the country's 408th Test player, while black armbands will be worn and a minute's silence observed before games on the weekend. Junior cricketers would also retire their innings at 63, instead of the usual 50, to commemorate Hughes' final score before his death.
The tragedy touched the country's other top sports, with the national rugby team to wear black armbands during today's match against England at Twickenham. A social media tribute with the hashtag "#putoutyourbats" also led to cricketers from around the world posting pictures of their bats outside their doors.
Support also rang out for Sean Abbott, the 22-year-old all-rounder whose rising delivery struck Hughes on Tuesday. Hughes' family and Michael Clarke, the Australia cricket captain, spent time with Abbott during the week and James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, has stated that Abbott is "holding up" well. "I had a chat to him last night and I was incredibly impressed by the way he was holding himself and his maturity," added Sutherland.
CA will launch an "immediate" review into player safety in the wake of Hughes' death, while the fate of next week's first Test against India remained uncertain. Sutherland has intimated that the board would work with manufacturers and regulators to look into safety standards and seek improvements after Hughes was killed despite wearing a helmet.
"Statistics say it is clearly a freak incident, but one freak incident is one freak incident too many," said Sutherland.
Hughes was expected to replace the injured Clarke in the Australia team for the first Test against India next week, according to selector Mark Waugh, but the debate has turned to whether the match should go ahead at all. Sutherland declined to confirm the match in Brisbane will go ahead,stating only that Hughes' team-mates needed time to grieve.
"I know for many people, seven days doesn't seem too far away but in other ways it is a million miles away. We will get there when we can."
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