Cricket Australia launches review of Hughes' death

Phillip Hughes' death is to be the subject of an independent review, commissioned by Cricket Australia in order to "see what could be done to prevent a similar accident happening in the future".

Having flagged the possibility of a review in the days after Hughes' death in November last year, the CA chief executive James Sutherland on Thursday announced the measure, which will be helmed by the QC David Curtain, a former chairman of the Victorian Bar Council and president of the Australian Bar Association.

"When this tragedy happened, I said that it was a freak accident, but it was one freak accident too many," Sutherland said. "Never again do we want to see something like that happen on a cricket field. We have a deep responsibility and obligation to look into the events of that awful day to understand everything that occurred and then see what could be done to prevent a similar accident happening in the future.

"This is not an exercise designed to apportion blame on any individual for what took place. It is about making sure that as a sport we are doing everything in our power to prevent an accident of this nature happening again. David Curtain QC is one of Australia's leading law practitioners and is highly qualified to lead the review which is being undertaken with the support of the Hughes family."

Hughes' death, when felled by a routine bouncer in a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG on November 25 last year, caused an unprecedented outpouring of emotion across Australia and the world, as many struggled to come to terms with the loss of one of the game's most promising players.

At the time there were some questions raised over various elements of the day's events, from the time it took for an ambulance to arrive at the SCG to the model of helmet Hughes was wearing - though no helmet currently in production would have covered the spot where he was hit.

Sutherland said that while numerous steps had already been taken to avoid a repeat of the awful scenes witnessed that day, the review would seek to determine whether more could be done between now and the start of the next Australian season.

"There were certain measures put in place soon after Phillip's passing such as increasing the medical presence at all CA matches and working very closely with our helmet supplier to investigate the suitability of protective head equipment offered to all players," he said. "This review will help determine whether we need to implement further measures before the 2015-16 season.

"We fully recognise that undertaking a process such as this may be a traumatic experience for some and we will be as respectful and understanding as possible throughout that time. As such Cricket Australia and all states continue to make available counselling and support to any players and staff who feel they need help at any time."

CA have indicated that once the review is complete, its findings will be released to the public.