Tony Cozier: Sean Abbott can learn from Sir Garfield Sobers

There cant be a cricketer of any generation and of any standard anywhere on the planet who hasnt been devastated by the death of Philip HughesAustralias Sean Abbott bowls during the second T20 against South Africa in Melbourne on November 7 PicGetty ImagesThe outpouring of grief after the Australian lefthander died in Sydneys St Vincents Hospital on Thursday two days after he was felled by a blow to the left side of the neck from a bouncer in a Sheffield Shield interstate match has been universal and heartfelt In the words of Indias Anil Kumble it has impacted the cricket worldThe anguish of course is more keenly endured in Australia not simply among those who were teammates and friends for nation and state but in every city town and outback station across the length and breadth of that vast prosperous and diverse countryWest Indians of a certain vintage can recall the shock akin to Hughes demise that enveloped the Caribbean after the death of Collie Smith in 1959 Smith was an ebullient entertainer as universally popular among colleagues and crickets passionate public as Hughes was halfcentury laterChoosing him as one of its cricketers of the year following his standout series in England in 1957 Wisden wrote of Smith There is no finer sight than that of a player enjoying his crickethelliphis infectious enthusiasm and huge grin make him such an outstanding personalityAt 26 a year older than Hughes he was widely rated alongside Garry Sobers as an allrounder with the potential to develop as Sobers did into one of the very best Smith lost his life when a car driven by Sobers his close friend collided with a 20ton lorry outside the English town of StokeonTrentIt was far from his native Jamaica and he was not involved in West Indies cricket at the time but rather playing in the Lancashire leagues It made no difference to the consequent despondency throughout a region where cricket was followed with religious zeal As with Hughes all that mattered was that a richly talented young cricketer had his life snuffed out long before its timeSobers response to the incident can be an example for Sean Abbott the budding New South Wales allrounder who delivered Hughes fateful ballIts naturalAs he acknowledges Sobers blamed himself for Smiths death as Abbott might do in Hughes case it is a natural reaction He has said he was so disturbed he took to drinking until he eventually dedicated himself to continue playing for both himself and SmithSir Garfield SobersEven divided by two Sobers final record of 8032 runs with 26 hundreds in 93 Tests at an average of 5778 along with 235 wickets in three different styles and 109 catches was a reasonable return There is a further correlation between the accidents that took the lives of Smith and HughesIt is precisely that they were accidents Hughes described by doctors as a freak In the immediate aftermath of Hughes death there have been strident calls in some quarters to improve safety They have extended from the need for better designed helmets to the penalising of bowlers who exceed the limits of two bouncers an over prescribed by the law to the ridiculous extreme of outlawing bouncers altogetherThe reality is that the advent of helmets during World Series Cricket in the late 1970s and the steady improvement in their design along with changes in the laws in relation to bouncers and intimidatory bowling have rendered cricket safer than it has ever beenThe fast bowlers drag that allowed them to deliver from as close as 18 yards to the batsman was eliminated by the introduction of the front foot noball rule in the late 1960s In the 1990s bouncers were cut to one an over with an infringement deemed a noball they were subsequently increased to two an overThe law on dangerous and unfair bowling is clear Its states The bowling of fast short pitched balls is dangerous and unfair if the bowlers end umpire considers that by their repetition and taking into account their length height and direction they are likely to inflict physical injury on the striker irrespective of the protective equipment he may be wearingThe relative skill of the striker shall be taken into consideration None of the informed reports from the SCG that day Hughes was hit made even the merest mention that this regulation was breached Undoubtedly it has been on other occasions it is the responsibility of the umpires to ensure that it isntA stroke of fateIn short it was a cruel stroke of fate that ended Hughes innings and life at 63 not out as it was Collie Smiths 56 years earlier There is no guarantee that it wont happen again Yet with better protective gear and stricter laws batsmen are more secure than they have ever beenWest Indian Collie Smith in 1957 The 26yearold died in a car crash in 1959 PicGetty ImagesSo it goes for driving as well With modern technology cars have become increasingly safer motorways and highways have multiplied Laws have become more stringentFor all the improvements every cricketer who fronts up to fast bowling in the middle or hops into a vehicle places himself in some danger the chance remains that they could be victims of car crashes or damaging blows to the head Thankfully fatalities are rare in both cases To eliminate them altogether is an impossibilityTony Cozier continues to be the voice of West Indies cricket