READ MORE Cricketer Ben Austin dies after being struck in the head by a ball By MATT JONES SENIOR NEWS REPORTER AUSTRALIA Published 2309 GMT 31 October 2025 Updated 2319 GMT 31 October 2025 The father of the teenage cricketer killed this week after being hit by a ball has broken his silence saying his son would have wanted his mates to keep playing the game he loved Speaking through tears and wearing his son Bens cap at Ferntree Gully Cricket Club Jace Austin placed his sons cricket gear in the nets where he died on Tuesday We got his bat his gloves my family just wanted to be where he last stood a tearful Mr Austin said I thought I would never get back to there but Benny would have wanted that because he loved the game This is a great game cricket it wasnt the games fault that was just a freak accident a freak accident Please make sure you keep playing this great game thats what he would want Jace Austin paid tribute to his son on Friday after he was killed in the nets earlier in the week Ben Austin would have wanted his mates to continue playing the game he loved Mr Austin is comforted by a friend on Friday afternoon The promising young cricketer was hit in the neck by a ball during a training session at Wally Tew Reserve in Melbournes southeast on Tuesday before being rushed to hospital in a critical condition The 17yearold was placed on life support but died in Monash Childrens Hospital the following day The tragedy follows the death of Test cricketer Phillip Hughes in 2014 who was struck in the neck by a ball while batting in a Sheffield Shield game for South Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground Like many young cricketers the game was in Bens blood after he was first introduced to the sport when his father took him to play little blasters with a couple of mates He used to play Friday night Saturday afternoon Sunday Thats why he had three clubs he loved it his father said Mr Austin said hed do anything to swap places with his son who had a full life ahead of him Just to hear Bennys voice again Id do anything Id give up everything Id swap places with him he said He loved Shield and Test cricket and the Vics and Tassie boys doing a tribute he would have been stoked and the fact that Ive got a smile in this st time and it feels bad that Im smiling but he would have loved this Omny Studio Privacy Policy Friends pay tribute to Ben Austin at the nets where he died this week Ben also had a passion for AFL and enjoyed playing and umpiring And thats why the games beautiful I think only cricket can do this honestly As tears rolled out of his eyes Mr Austin took his sons cap off his head and touched the emblem Its his hat He only played the three games he said Ben was a sports nut who also loved AFL and was keen to run a marathon His father said sport would have played a big role in the rest of his life He wanted to be a boundary umpire be a PE teacher and maybe get as high as he could in his cricket or AFL Mr Austin said His primary school Waverley Meadows in Wheelers Hill where he was school captain in 2020 paid tribute to a kind respectful popular and muchloved student Our community has lost a truly great young person who was developing into a fine young adult a true testament to his parents and his loss will be felt by our school for many years to come the school said Aussie cricket great Merv Hughes said Bens death would have been felt across the nation It doesnt matter what level of cricket you play theres always a chance that something like this happens he told reporters Right across Australia and throughout the world no doubt people will be thinking of him At Friday nights T20 match between Australia and India at the MCG a moments silence was observed for Ben as players from both teams and officials wore black armbands Share or comment on this article Father of teen cricketer who died in a freak accident in tears as he pays tribute to his son He loved the game Add comment