Victorian and Tasmanian cricketers have led solemn tributes to teenage player Ben Austin on Friday morning before play in their Sheffield Shield match at the Junction Oval.
The players leaned their bats and caps against the fence as a symbol of respect, wore black arm bands and held a minute’s silence as the cricket community continued to grieve the death of the Ferntree Gully teenager, who was struck on the neck by an accidental full toss while training with friends on Tuesday.
Victorian players Sam Harper, Pete Handscomb, and David Moody observe a minute’s silence in honour of teenage cricketer Ben Austin.Credit: Getty Images
Austin died later in hospital.
The accident has turned a spotlight on the safety of cricket and, in particular, on the use of “wangers”, a training device that launches the ball at varying speeds and lengths.
Police will prepare a report on Austin’s death for the coroner, who can investigate the cause of death but also make recommendations about safety issues.
Cricket Victoria have said they will look at how things could be done better in the future, but first they want to focus on supporting Austin’s family and the cricket community.
Victorian players place their bats and caps in honour of the late Ben Austin on the Junction Oval fence on Friday.Credit: Getty Images
News of Austin’s death was made public on Thursday but it was too late for the teams to do their own tribute at Junction Oval, so they expressed their solidarity with Austin’s family and friends on Friday morning.
Western Australia also wore black armbands during their Shield match on Thursday as they started later in the day.
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