Play has ended on day 1 of the first match played by the Australian side since the death of one of its young stars in a freak accident
Cricket teams consist of eleven players plus an extra player in the side called the twelfth man, who serves as a substitute in case someone gets injured.
On Tuesday in Adelaide, however, the Australian side that faced off against India posthumously added a “thirteenth man” — Phillip Hughes.
Hughes, who died on Nov. 27, was symbolically included in an Australian side playing its first match since his untimely death, the BBC reports. Black armbands were worn by the Australian players, who also bore his cap number, 408, on their white jerseys. The spectators were also asked to stand for 63 seconds of applause, symbolizing the 63-run score he had at the moment he was fatally injured.
Hughes died two days after being struck on the neck by a quick-rising ball known in cricket jargon as a “bouncer.” The 25-year-old batsman’s sudden demise shocked and saddened the cricketing world, with 5,000 people descending on his hometown to attend his funeral and tributes pouring in from around the globe.
“It’s going to be an emotional morning,” Australian player Mitchell Johnson said, right before his side went in to bat.
The home side ended Day One of the five-day test match having scored 354 runs for the loss of six wickets. Opening batsman David Warner — one of the first players to rush onto the field to aid Hughes moments after he was struck — scored 145 of those runs, in what is sure to be a meaningful, memorable innings regardless of the result.