Cricket Australia said Sunday they will stage a number of tributes to the late Phillip Hughes at this week’s first Test against India at the Adelaide Oval.
The Australian players will wear Hughes’ Test cap number 408 on their playing shirts for the match, while players and team management will also wear black armbands in honour of their former team-mate.
Prior to the start of play on Tuesday, the Australian and Indian teams will stand before a large 408 painted on the Adelaide Oval’s playing surface as they observe a video tribute to Hughes, narrated by former Australia Test captain and prominent cricket commentator Richie Benaud.
Following the tribute, which will be displayed on screens at the Adelaide Oval, the team and spectators will be asked to stand for 63 seconds of applause in recognition of Hughes’s final unbeaten score.
Hughes, 25, died on November 27 from bleeding on the brain, two days after being knocked unconscious by a bouncer while batting for South Australia in Sydney, plunging the cricketing world into mourning.
“It’s been an incredibly sad time since Phillip’s passing,” Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said.
“With the international season re-commencing on Tuesday, it is appropriate to pause once more and honour a modest hero who thrilled the nation and in so doing won an enduring place in our hearts.
“We hope that the cricket community can come together to join the Australian and Indian teams in the pre-match tribute.
“This is an opportunity for those that embraced him so fondly to say goodbye.”