By Lee Gaskin
Wests/UC captain Ben Oakley will always be grateful for the guidance gave him at the Adelaide Strikers.
Oakley, like everyone in the cricket and general community, was devastated at the news Hughes had died on Thursday after being struck in the head while batting at the SCG earlier in the week.
Ben Oakley feels grateful for the time he spent with Phillip Hughes.Credit: Jeffrey Chan
Oakley was a 31-year-old rookie making the transition to his first professional contract when he played for the Strikers in the Big Bash League last summer.
The left-arm fast-medium bowler made his one and only appearance against the Perth Scorchers at Adelaide Oval on New Year's Eve last year.
"The game I played, he played as well, he was in a vice-captain capacity at that point," Oakley said.
"We had a great group of guys, he was one among the lot.
Weston Creek Molonglo opening batsman Jono Dean✓ also played with Hughes at the Strikers.
"Shattered. As cricketers we are fearless, we have to be. You don't think this would ever happen. Puts everything in perspective #RIPHughesy," Dean tweeted.
Oakley has been one of the leading bowlers in the Canberra grade competition and for
Oakley was distraught when he first saw the incident on Tuesday and added his support to NSW bowler Sean Abbott, who bowled the bouncer to Hughes.
"The whole cricket community was [shattered], whether you knew him or not," Oakley said. "We could all relate to it.
"You've got to feel for Sean Abbott as well, because it's something out of your control.
Oakley described the injury as "one of those freak accidents" and said any talk of eliminating the short ball from cricket was premature.
"If you take the short ball out of the game, the game is going to lose its lustre," Oakley said. "If you can only bowl full at batsmen, there's going to be runs scored everywhere. The short ball is a tool to take a batsman's wicket, so I don't think you can take the bouncer out of the game."