New fatherhood, collective grief and an endless summer on the road

Listening to the radio as I walked the footpaths of Leichhardt and Annandale with my newborn son wrapped to my chest, I still remember the update coming through.

It was November 25, 2014, and Nicholas, all of 10 days old, was drenched in my sweat as we rounded our neighbourhood.

Taking a break from covering the cricket during Australia’s 2015 Ashes tour of England. Credit:

The radio announcer was matter-of-fact. Phillip Hughes had collapsed after being struck with a ball while batting at the Sydney Cricket Ground and had been rushed to hospital.

Ordinarily, as the Herald’s senior cricket reporter at the time, I’d have been there to cover what was an important Sheffield Shield game leading up to a Test series between Australia and India, one in which Hughes was vying for a return to the national team.

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