Phillip Hughes state memorial canceled

Phillip Hughes state memorial in Australia has been canceled.

The Australia cricketer died at the age of 25 in a hospital, two days after being struck by a ball in a domestic game last month.

New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said the decision followed consultation with Cricket Australia and Phillip Hughes’s family.

Phillip Hughes added: “All parties felt that given the enormous outpouring of support at last Wednesday’s funeral, a state memorial service would no longer need to be held.”

About 5,000 people attended the service in Phillip Hughes’s home town of Macksville, New South Wales, with mourners including Australia’s Test team, coach Darren Lehmann and cricket legends Shane Warne and Brian Lara.

“Last Wednesday’s funeral in Macksville was a wonderful service and a fitting tribute to Phillip’s life, and it was a privilege to be a part of it. It was a community event attended by thousands of people, watched live by millions of Australians and observed at a number of grounds around the country, including the Sydney Cricket Ground,” Mike Baird said.

The former Hampshire, Middlesex and Worcestershire batsman was representing South Australia against his home state New South Wales in a domestic Sheffield Shield match when he was hit by a Sean Abbott bouncer.

Phillip Hughes had been wearing a helmet but the ball struck him at the top of the neck, causing the injury.

Australia’s Test series against India was due to begin in Brisbane on December 4, but that was rearranged due to the proximity to Phillip Hughes’s funeral.

The rescheduled first test begins on December 9 in Adelaide.