The grieving parents of Ben Austin — the teenager killed in a freak accident while playing cricket — say they don’t want his death to change the game.
At a coronial inquest, Jace and Tracey Austin say their boy loved the sport and he would want it to stay just as it is.
Coroner Simon McGregor said told the court on Friday that he won’t be making recommendations for change.
Despite being overcome with emotion, the grieving parents agreed, determined to pay tribute to their beautiful Ben.
“Every day is brutal, I’ll be honest, every day is brutal,” Jace Austin said outside the court, while Tracey pointed to the gold B on her necklace.
“Got him close to my heart ... my boy,” she said.
Ben was just 17 he died in a tragic accident last October after he was hit in the neck with a cricket ball while practising his batting with friends at Ferntree Gully.
“He just wanted to play the great game as much as he could and keep it going and not have any hindrance to it,” Jace said.
“He was the perfect boy.”
The teenager spent two days on life support at the Monash Children’s Hospital but couldn’t be saved.
McGregor confirmed Ben suffered an intracranial haemorrhage and a ruptured artery.
He also acknowledged his family’s wishes, saying the cricket season that is upon us can continue.
Cricket Australia is already undertaking a review to minimise risks and improve player safety and will use the tragedy to guide any subsequent actions.
But Jace was firm that he did not want change.
“There’s no way do we want to change this great game. It was a freak accident. But then, on the other hand, we don’t want another one, another Benny or Phil,” Jace said, the latter a reference to Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes, who died in 2014 when he was hit in the neck by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match.
The court will deliver its final report in mid-November, allowing Ben’s parents time to grieve the first anniversary of his death.
“It helps to get his name out there. We were worried that he’s going to be forgotten, but he’s going to outlive us all, the little bugger,” Jace said.