Not too enthused by the idea of being back on the ground where Phillip Hughes was fatally struck, Australian all-rounder Shane Watson on Saturday said memories of the late batsman will flood him the moment he steps out to compete in the fourth cricket Test against India here.
Hughes lost his life in November last year after being struck on the back of his head by a Sean Abbott bouncer during a domestic match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The tragedy left the Australian team distraught and even forced a rescheduling of the ongoing Test series against India. "It's the first time I've been back here since just before Phil's funeral. It was always a time that I wasn't really looking forward to, coming back to the ground. But in the end, enough time has sort of passed to be able to find my own personal way to be able to deal with what happened to Phil. I'm sure once I get out into the middle and playing, those visions will be coming back," Watson told reporters here.
"We've only really come together just now, so I'm sure we will (speak as a group) over the next couple of days, especially the guys who were on the field at that moment," he added. "I still haven't been out in the middle yet so I'm sure once I go out there all those memories will come flooding back very quickly."
Hughes family to attend Sydney Test: Clarke
Australia captain Michael Clarke, currently undergoing rehabilitation post his hamstring surgery, on Saturday revealed that Phil Hughes' family will be present for the final Test at this venue, where the cricketer was hit by a bouncer and eventually succumbed to his injuries. "Phillip Hughes' family will be at the game and I will be spending my time with them when I'm not in the commentary box," Clarke, who would be doing commentary for Channel Nine, said.
"They have shown incredible strength over the last couple of months and it will be great to see them back out at the ground where they watched their son and brother score so many runs for NSW, South Australia and Australia," he added. Stating that SCG was a special ground for Hughes, Clarke recollected: "He played his first ever Test in Australia there against Pakistan in 2010 and scored a cracking 87 in his last Test at the ground against Sri lanka in 2013, which included a 130-run second wicket stand with Davey Warner.