Death of a sportsman: gladiatorial guilt

But when a player is badly maimed or dies, gladiatorial sport's illusions are suddenly exposed. This may be a theatre of dreams, but that is real flesh and blood on the stadium stage.

Last week the series against India was eagerly anticipated as the legitimate start to an epic summer of cricket that will end next March at the MCG with the ICC World Cup final.

However, after the Hughes trauma, last summer's braggadocio has suddenly shrivelled. Now the psychological readiness of the players is in doubt, and questions asked about who will bowl the first bouncer – or even whether one should be bowled at all.

Reflecting seriously on this sorrowful event demands more than simple mourning or suggesting helmet design improvements. Death rarely visits cricket so disconcertingly, but the senseless loss of Phillip Hughes should prompt those who see sport as crash-test cartoons without consequences to come to their senses.