Former Australian captain and mid-day columnist Ian Chappell has called for next week's India vs Australia Test at the Gabba in Brisbane to be played as per schedule on December 4
Ian Chappell and Phil Hughes
Sydney: Former Australian captain and mid-day columnist Ian Chappell has called for next week's India vs Australia Test at the Gabba in Brisbane to be played as per schedule on December 4.
Ian Chappell
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Chappell told Fox Sports: "In a strange way it will be probably the best thing that they go out to train and play in a game. At least while you are on the field or in the nets you will have something else to concentrate on.
"Because every moment you are off the field you are going to be thinking about Phillip Hughes and what happened. "It was the right thing to do to cancel the Shield round (this week) but I think Phillip would want the game to go on."
Australia's Test squad members — Brad Haddin, David Warner, Shane Watson and Nathan Lyon — were on the field when Hughes was struck on Tuesday in the South Australia vs New South Wales.
Floral tributes paid to Phil Hughes at the Lord's in London yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
"Former Test players like Brendon Julian and Damien Martyn have questioned whether the Test should be called off, while 156-Test great Allan Border felt players should be allowed to stand down. Chappell admitted it would be hard for the Australian players who kept a bedside vigil with Hughes to focus on playing at the Gabba," said a report in news.com.au.
Chappell added: "I am sure the players will get a hell of a lot of support. The people you think about immediately are his mother and sister who saw the event unfold (at the SCG). And the guy who delivered it Sean Abbott it is going to be hard for him. "It's terribly sad news, it's fairly hard to process it. It's a hell of a shock."