India National Cricket Team vs Australian Men’s Cricket Team Match:Players from India and Australia wore black armbands during the second T20 International at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday to pay tribute to 17-year-old Australian cricketer Ben Austin. They also observed a one-minute silence before the start of play in his memory. Austin died after being hit on the neck during a training session at the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club in suburban Melbourne. The incident took place while he was reportedly facing an automatic bowling machine in the nets ahead of a Twenty20 match. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and placed on a ventilator but succumbed to his injuries.
Reports said Austin was wearing a helmet but did not have neck protection at the time of the accident. His death has drawn widespread grief and brought back memories of Australia batter Phil Hughes, who died in a similar incident in 2014.
The Ferntree Gully Cricket Club, where Austin played, expressed deep sorrow over his passing. "We are absolutely devastated by the passing of Ben, and the impacts of his death will be felt by all in our cricket community," the Ferntree Gully club said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family – Jace, Tracey, Cooper and Zach, his extended family, his friends and to all of those who knew Ben and the joy that he brought."
The Australian and Indian women’s teams had also worn black armbands earlier this week during their ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final in Navi Mumbai to pay tribute to the young cricketer.
Suryakumar Yadav once again lost the toss in Melbourne and was asked to bat first by Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh. Australia made one change, bringing in Matt Short for Josh Philippe, while India went with an unchanged playing XI.
AUS vs IND 2nd T20I Playing XIs
India Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia Playing XI: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Matthew Short, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.