A 17-year-old Australian cricketer, Ben Austin, has died after being struck on the neck by a cricket ball during a training session in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, officials confirmed on Thursday.
The young player was practicing in the nets at Ferntree Gully on Tuesday when he was hit by a ball from a bowling machine. Although he was wearing a helmet, reports confirmed that he was not using a stem guard, a protective extension designed to cover the back of the neck.
Emergency services arrived at the scene around 5:00 pm local time, and Austin was taken to Monash Children’s Hospital in critical condition. Despite being placed on life support, he succumbed to his injuries two days later.
Cricket Victoria confirmed the incident and expressed deep sorrow over the loss. A spokesperson said, “Ben was wearing a helmet but did not have a stem guard,” noting the tragic similarity to the death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes in 2014, who suffered a fatal neck injury during a domestic match.
Tributes have poured in from across the cricket and football communities. The Ferntree Gully Cricket Club described Austin as “one of its most promising young players” and said his passing “will be felt deeply across the cricket community.” The club requested privacy for his family and thanked emergency responders and hospital staff for their support.
The Waverley Park Hawks Junior Football Club, where Austin also played, remembered him as “kind, respectful, and a fantastic footballer.” The club said the community had lost “a truly great young person.”
Austin’s tragic death has reignited discussions about cricket safety and the use of stem guards. While neck guards were introduced after Phillip Hughes’ death, their use is not mandatory, raising renewed concerns over player protection during training and matches.
