MELBOURNE, 20 January 2004 — Former Australia batsman David Hookes died in hospital yesterday hours after being assaulted by a bouncer outside a Melbourne hotel, Hookes’ family said.
Hookes, a former Test batsman who had been coaching the Victoria State side, suffered massive head injuries when the bouncer allegedly struck him to the ground during a dispute in the Melbourne suburb of Saint Kilda.
Hookes, 48, was in a coma and on life support following the assault late Sunday and died around 7 p.m. yesterday, his brother Terry Cranagh said.
“We the family of cricketer David Hookes wish to inform David’s many friends, family members and fans that he passed away today at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne,” Hookes’ brother Terry Cranagh said.
“We trust that the police will conduct a full investigation into the cause of the incident and that the justice process will provide us with some insight into what occurred,” he read from a statement at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.
Hookes, a swashbuckling batsman who played 23 Tests for Australia from 1976-77 to 1985-86, had been taken to hospital after the assault late on Sunday. He was revived by ambulance staff after a fight.
The coach of the Victoria State side, had been celebrating with his players after their win over South Australia in a one-day match. Victoria police said yesterday that they had charged a 21-year-old man with one count of assault. Local media reported that the man worked as a security guard at the hotel. “I felt physically very sick this morning when I heard the news, and it really is terrible,” said retired Test captain Steve Waugh, who was occasionally criticized by Hookes in the media.
Waugh made his debut against India in Melbourne in 1985-86, in the last of Hookes’ 23 matches.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting said: “Sitting with the guys at the airport this morning everyone was in a state of shock and no one could believe what happened.”
Ex-Australia captain Allan Border told Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio: “We’ve been very close mates going back to schoolboy cricket days so this has hit pretty hard.
“I also remember his cricket very fondly because of the way he played it in a swashbuckling style, but as a bloke he was right off the top shelf.”
Hookes made a sparkling debut aged 21 in the Centenary Test in Melbourne in 1977, hitting England’s Tony Greig for five consecutive boundaries as he reached his half-century. The left-hander made 1,306 Test runs, including a top score of 143 not out, at an average of 34.36.
Hookes is also the fifth highest run-scorer in interstate cricket, hitting 9,364 runs for South Australia. He had a highest score of 306 not out.
