Cricket World Mourns Teen Player Ben Austin After Tragic Training Accident

Posted : 31 October 2025

A solemn minute’s silence was observed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday before the Australia vs. India Twenty20 match, as players and fans paid tribute to Ben Austin, a teenage Australian cricketer who died after being hit by a ball during practice.

Austin, aged 17, was struck in the neck while training in the nets before a local Twenty20 game in Melbourne. Although he was wearing a helmet, reports indicate he was not using a stem guard, the neck protector designed to prevent such injuries. His death on Thursday has deeply shaken the cricket world, drawing parallels to the tragic passing of Phillip Hughes in 2014, who also died after being hit in a similar manner during a domestic match.

Both Australian and Indian players wore black armbands and bowed their heads in silence alongside a sell-out MCG crowd of 100,000, united in remembrance. Across Australia, similar tributes were held — teams in Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, and South Australia paused their matches, placed bats out in respect, and displayed Austin’s image on stadium screens.

In Mumbai, players from both nations’ women’s teams also wore black armbands during their World Cup semifinal as a sign of solidarity. The Australian men’s team publicly thanked India for joining in the tribute, stating, “Thanks to the Indian team for wearing black armbands to honour Ben Austin, a young man from Melbourne who tragically lost his life playing the game we all love.”

At the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club, where the accident occurred, flowers and cricket bats were laid in Austin’s memory. Cricket Victoria chief Nick Cummins reflected on the tragedy, saying, “It makes you so proud to realise how connected the cricket community is and how much we look after each other. It doesn’t take much imagination to put yourself in the Austin family’s position.”

Messages of support poured in from around the world. England’s Barmy Army fan group shared a GoFundMe link to assist the Austin family, writing, “Rest in peace, Ben Austin, never forgotten.” Former England captain Michael Vaughan and the England and Wales Cricket Board also expressed their condolences, with Vaughan saying, “Gone far too young. Thoughts are with his family and close friends.”

Ben Austin’s passing has once again highlighted the importance of safety in the sport and underscored the unity and compassion of the cricketing fraternity worldwide.

Cricket World Mourns Teen Player Ben Austin After Tragic Training Accident

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