Stephanie Smail: Cricketers across the world have paid tribute to 17-year-old Ben Austin, who died after being hit in the neck by a ball during training. It came from a ball-throwing device known as a wanger, similar to those used by dog owners to launch tennis balls. One South Australian club has already banned junior players from using those devices due to safety concerns. Angus Randall reports.
Angus Randall: At Junction Oval in Melbourne, cricket fans watched the final day of a shield match between Victoria and Tasmania, overshadowed by the death of a young cricketer only a few kilometres away.
Opinion: You kind of think of cricket naturally as a pretty safe and easy-going sport, so I won’t lie, I was straightening under the Greg Chappell Cricket Centre this morning looking up STEM guard protectors for the helmet.
Opinion: So sad for them. My children have played cricket all their lives and sometimes it’s easy to forget it is a dangerous sport.
Andy Shea: It’s just a horrible thing to happen and we don’t want to see it happen again.
Angus Randall: Players are wearing black armbands in tribute to 17-year-old Ben Austin, who died after being struck in the neck with a cricket ball during a training session on Tuesday. Fern Tree Gully Cricket Club coach Josh Henry says he leaves a lasting legacy, despite his life being cut so short.
Josh Henry: He was just a really loving, caring, beautiful boy. He loved his cricket, he loved his mates, he loved the club. He was a leader.
Angus Randall: It’s drawn comparisons to the death of test cricketer Philip Hughes, who was hit in the neck at the SCG 11 years ago. That led to neck guards, also known as stem guards, to be made mandatory in professional cricket when facing a fast bowler. However, that’s not the case for junior players. In this case, Ben Austin was wearing a helmet, but not a stem guard. Nick Cummins is the CEO of Cricket Victoria. He says the focus right now is on supporting the club and the families of both Ben and the player who threw the ball.
Nick Cummins: We’ve done everything we can for Ben, but there is another family that needs our support as well. So that’s our priority. At the right time, we will have a look at all of our safety procedures.
Angus Randall: An independent investigation into the Philip Hughes incident found it unlikely that a stem guard would have prevented his death. However, manufacturers say the technology has improved since then. But in the wake of this latest incident, there are also safety concerns about the use of a handheld ball thrower called a wanger. It’s similar to the device used by dog owners to throw a tennis ball. Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann says the wanger may look simple, but it’s deceptively dangerous.
Darren Lehmann: That’s one of the things, skills you probably need to have as a coach. And if you’re helping out through juniors, you need to be able to use it properly because it can actually come down quite fast. So it’s one of those ones that they’ve got to look at as well.
Angus Randall: One Adelaide cricket club has already banned anyone under the age of 18 from using or facing a ball from a wanger in the wake of this tragedy. Goodwood Cricket Club’s junior coordinator is Andy Shea.
Andy Shea: You know, a lot of our boys, a lot of the parents, even who are just volunteer coaches, don’t know how to use them properly. For us, the conversation is now is that we can prevent and stop the use of them for the moment. But obviously, at some point, we’re going to need to train people how to use them.
Angus Randall: Peter Brukner is a professor of sports medicine at La Trobe University and was Cricket Australia’s chief doctor when Philip Hughes died. He wants to keep the focus on mandatory head and neck protection rather than getting rid of the wanger.
Peter Brukner: It replicates what happens in a cricket match, so it’s not not any different. I think the issue is, you know, we’ve just got to make sure that head and neck protection is present all the time.
Angus Randall: Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird says there are things to learn from the incident, but supporting Ben Austin’s family is the current focus.
Stephanie Smail: Angus Randall reporting.
