Mitchell Starc donned a black ‘PH’ armband to honor Phillip Hughes. Hughes died in 2014 after being hit in the neck by a rising ball during a Sheffield Shield game in Australia.
Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith were observe sporting a black armband with the word “PH” print on it on the night of the ODI World Cup 2023 final. It reveal that the players’ gesture an homage to late Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes, who died on November 27, 2014. During a Shield match, the batsman died when a stinging bouncer from Sean Abbott hit him in the head.
Captain Michael Clarke paid tribute to him following their fifth World Cup championship in 2015. Starc and Smith did the same lately. Travis Head, Australia’s World Cup-winning hero in 2023, has a tattoo of Phillip Hughes on his hand. The cover photo of his X (previously Twitter) is of them hugging after a Shield match.
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Mitchell Starc donned a black ‘PH’ armband to honor Phillip Hughes
Notably, owing to an injury in his left hand, Head miss the first portion of the competition and only join the squad halfway through. In the semi-finals at Eden Gardens, the 29-year-old smashed a century against New Zealand and a half-century against South Africa. On the night of the final, when his side was under immense strain, Head rose to the occasion once more. Hitting 137 runs to help Australia win by six wickets and claim their sixth ODI World Cup championship.
Marnus Labuschagne, 29, provided solid assistance in the middle, hitting 58 runs. The pair combined for 192 runs, knocking India out of the competition. Mitchell Starc took three wickets, while Josh Hazlewood and skipper Pat Cummins each took two.
Australia managed to restrict India to 240 and finally won the match with 42 balls remaining thanks to their outstanding effort. Following the loss, the Indian team tremendously sad, with players such as Mohammed Siraj, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli almost breaking down in the middle. Following the loss, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the dressing room to console all of the players.
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