Australian cricketer dies aged 17 after being hit in neck by ball

A 17-year-old cricketer has died in Australia after being struck in the neck by a ball during a training session.

Ben Austin died on Wednesday following an incident at the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club in Melbourne. He was placed on life support at a hospital but was later confirmed dead.

Austin was struck while batting in the nets on Tuesday by a ball that was thrown using a hand-held ball launcher, often known as a “dog stick” as they were initially developed for owners to throw balls for their pets.

While Austin was wearing a helmet when he was hit, he was not wearing a neck protector.

Neck protectors, often called stem guards, are clip-on attachments to helmets which provide additional protection to a player’s neck and upper spine. They have been mandatory in professional cricket in Australia since 2023, but are not compulsory in recreational cricket.

In England, stem guards are also mandatory in the professional game, but there are no requirements for players to wear them in club cricket.

The tragedy will bring back memories of the death of Phillip Hughes. In 2014, the Australian Test batsman was killed after being struck in the back of the neck while batting in a Sheffield Shield match.

Hughes’s death was the catalyst for a heightened emphasis on safety in the sport.

Cricket Australia – working closely with the England & Wales Cricket Board – led the push for concussion substitutes, which were trialled in domestic cricket and then introduced in the international game from 2019.

Nick Cummins, head of cricket at the governing body Cricket Victoria, told Australian media: “The ball hit him in the neck in a similar accident that Phil Hughes suffered 10 years ago.”

Ringwood and District Cricket Association president Michael Finn said that Austin was warming up in the nets when he was hit. Finn said: “Medical assistance was provided by people at the ground at the time until the paramedics arrived.”

Jace Austin, Ben’s father, said the family was “utterly devastated” by the death of “our beautiful Ben”.

“For Tracey and I, Ben was an adored son, deeply loved brother to Cooper and Zach and a shining light in the lives of our family and friends,” he said.

“This tragedy has taken Ben from us, but we find some comfort that he was doing something he did for so many summers - going down to the nets with mates to play cricket.

“He loved cricket and it was one of the joys of his life.”

Ben was described by Cummins as a talented, popular player and a captain who was well-known within age-grade cricket in the south east of Melbourne.

He celebrated his 17th birthday earlier this month, and in March this year he received an award recognising a player who demonstrates dedication and the right attitude to the game.

Flowers, cards and cricket bats have been laid in tribute to Ben outside the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club in tribute to him, while in Perth Western Australia players wore black armbands as a mark of respect.

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