Opponents and Phillip Hughes' batting partner said they could remember no sledging of Hughes the day he was hit. Credit:Getty Images Hughes' mother, Virginia, and brother, Jason, stayed to watch the over from NSW fast bowler Sean Abbott. They bowed their heads at the moment when a bouncer struck Hughes on the left side of the neck, a blow from which he died two days later when his life support was turned off. Nobody is looking for more answers in Court 5.1 this week than the Hughes family, but it was clear from the outset on Monday morning that nothing else or more could've been done to save their boy. As Stern laid out in her opening address, neither a quicker ambulance nor a different style of protective helmet to the one Hughes was wearing could have prevented the death that sparked an outpouring of grief across the world. It was "inevitable", Stern said. Inevitable. Such a solemn adjective.

Virginia Hughes at the inquest into the death of her son, cricketer Phillip Hughes at the NSW Coroner's Court on Monday. Credit:Ben Rushton The purpose of a coronial inquest is "not to lay blame" but there have been fears within the cricket community for some time that this week would turn into a witch-hunt. There has also been equal speculation about the Hughes family being disturbed about the spirit in which the match was played; about NSW players overstepping the mark with their sledging leading up to the delivery that felled Hughes. NSW bowler Doug Bollinger arrives at the inquest. Credit:Ben Rushton That was confirmed when the court heard of the family's belief that fast bowler Doug Bollinger had allegedly said "I am going to kill you", although not directly to Hughes but more likely his batting partner, Tom Cooper.

"I know in my heart I didn't say that," Bollinger told the inquest. When pressed on whether he or the NSW team had targeted Hughes with short-pitched bowling, he denied it. This prompted disbelief and anger in the front row from the Hughes family, who shook their heads and scoffed. They had reacted in the same manner when Blues captain Brad Haddin had taken the stand that morning. "The game was played in good spirits," Haddin told the coroner. "It was a normal game of cricket. There were two ex-NSW players [Hughes and Cooper] out there. There was nothing different to the game that I had played for many years."

These are the ugly and unfortunate moments that many in cricket had forecast about the Hughes inquest. On one side stands a grieving family wanting answers. On the other, a group of players who continue to be haunted by the fact they were on the opposing side the day their rival – but also friend – was fatefully struck. Cricket is brutal and – especially at a first-class level – dangerous. It is a heady mix of skill and intimidation and machismo and the boundaries are always pushed. The court heard varying and conflicting accounts of whether Hughes had or hadn't been targeted with short-pitched bowling after the lunch break in order to slow down the South Australian run-rate. Dave Warner, who was playing for NSW that day, said the plan had been to "bowl at or over leg stump, to get him moving backwards instead of forwards".

Haddin didn't recall this. Nor did Bollinger. An analysis of the match by former international umpire Simon Taufel revealed 23 bouncers were bowled that day – and 20 of them had been sent down to Hughes. Despite this, it is an enormous and dangerous leap to suggest that anyone at the SCG that day was responsible for the death of Phillip Hughes. It was then as it is now: a freak accident. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland and high performance chief Pat Howard were sitting two rows behind the Hughes family. When the sadness of Hughes' death abated, they acted quickly in trying to ensure the same thing never happened again, making 2013 British standard helmets mandatory for all players facing fast or medium-paced bowling, wicket-keepers standing up to the stumps or those fielding close to the batsman.

Loading No matter what measures are introduced, though, no matter how much sledging and short-pitched bowling is taken out of the game, cricket will at its core remain a dangerous sport, played by courageous men and women. Sadly, one November afternoon in 2014, the game and a family lost one of them.