In a case of serious lapse of discretion, English commentator Simon Hughes ended up making a highly tasteless comment while covering the T20I series between Australia and Pakistan. During the third and final game of the series, he informed viewers about the selection of seamer Sean Abbot in the playing XI of the home team in a way that left every listener shocked.
"A rare opportunity for Sean Abbott to play, the man who is most famous probably for having the terrible misfortune of bowling the ball that killed Phillip Hughes in the middle," Simon Hughes declared on English channel BT Sports which telecasts cricket played in Australia to UK viewers.
This comment led to an angry response from a large number of fans. Many demanded an apology from the English broadcaster. An apology was indeed issued by him on Twitter. It read:
"I apologise to Sean Abbott and all his supporters if my comments were insensitive to the awful trauma which I know he experienced at the time and is obviously still deeply affected by. What tremendous strength of character he has displayed since."
Phil Hughes, an Australian cricketer, died in 2014 after being struck on the back of the head by a bouncer bowled by Sean Abbot during a Sheffield Shield match. Since then, Abbot has been able to get over the emotional trauma of that incident and good performances by him in domestic cricket have earned him a place in the Australian team.
Watch the clip where Simon Hughes makes the controversial remark here:
Omg as if he’s just said that??? pic.twitter.com/IMVmqq9xcw
— The Big Show (@ravi_layer) November 8, 2019
