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He cricket The community is mourning the loss of one of its own after a 17-year-old Australian man died after being hit in the neck by a ball during practice, the country’s national governing body for sport confirmed Thursday.
Ben Austin was training at Ferntree Gully in Melbourne’s east on Tuesday when a ball hit him in the neck. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where he was placed on “advanced life support.” Cricket Australia saying.
The Australian cricket team observes a minute’s silence for Ben Austin during the second game of the T20 International series between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 31, 2025, in Melbourne, Australia. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
He succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.
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“We are absolutely devastated by Ben’s passing, and everyone in our cricket community will feel the impact of his death,” Ferntree Gully Cricket Club said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family…his friends and all those who knew Ben and the joy he brought.”
Austin’s father also issued a statement Thursday.
“We are completely devastated by the passing of our beautiful Ben, who passed away Thursday morning,” Jace Austin’s statement read. “To Tracey and me, Ben was a cherished son, a deeply loved brother to Cooper and Zach, and a bright light in the lives of our family and friends.
People watch tributes left on cricket nets in memory of promising Australian cricketer Ben Austin, 17, who died in Melbourne on October 30, 2025, after being hit by a ball two days earlier. Austin was in the nets with a helmet on before a Twenty20 match in Melbourne on October 28 when he was hit in the neck while facing a ball throwing device. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
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“This tragedy has taken Ben from us, but it comforts us to know that he was doing something he did for so many summers: hitting the nets with his friends. play cricket. “He loved cricket and it was one of the joys of his life.”
The freak accident occurred in front of Austin’s teammates, according to the family.
“We also want to support his teammate who was bowling in the nets. This accident has affected two young people and our thoughts are also with him and his family.”
Players observe a minute’s silence for young cricketer Ben Austin, who died on October 30, 2025, after being hit by a ball on the neck before a local match while in the nets in front of a ball launching device, before the second T20 international cricket match between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on October 31, 2025. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
Tributes poured in and the young athlete was honored across the country, including during a moment of silence before the T20 International series between Australia and India on Friday.
Austin’s tragic death comes more than 10 years after popular cricketer Philip Hughes died in Australia in November 2014, two days after being hit near the ear by a ball during a game. He was 25 years old.
