Sir — The death of promising cricketer Phillip Hughes is a tragic day for cricket-lovers. A loss of life in a sporting fraternity is a loss felt in everyone’s heart. It’s not just that of a player falling on the field to a fatal blow, but of a player as young as Hughes waiting to make it big, that makes the incident more heart-rending. One remembers how Nari Contractor of India was hit on the head in 1962. Many did not feel he would live.
He lived, thankfully, but his cricketing career came to a premature end. There have been others across the world who have not been so lucky. Cricket officials must re-think about bouncers, safety helmets and basic rules of the game. The gentleman’s game has to become gentle on the field.