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Australia team among mourners at Hookes funeral

January 27, 2004 11:22 IST

Australia captain Ricky Ponting and his team were among an estimated 15,000 mourners who gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of David Hookes at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.

Former Australia batsman Hookes is best remembered for hitting England captain Tony Greig for five successive fours on his debut at the 1977 Centenary Test in Melbourne.

Greig was among the mourners alongside ex-West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd, former Australia captains Richie Benaud, Mark Taylor and Ian Chappell, and suspended leg spinner Shane Warne.

Former Australia players David Boon, Merv Hughes, Ian Healy and Dean Jones and ex-New Zealand captain Martin Crowe were also at the funeral.

Hookes, 48, died on January 19 after suffering serious head injuries and a heart attack in an assault outside a Melbourne hotel the previous night.

He was resuscitated at the scene and rushed to hospital in a coma but never regained consciousness.

"I think that innings (in the Centenary Test) is so typical of David, not only of his cricket career, but his life," Chappell told mourners.

"When everybody else was struggling with the occasion, Hookesy came along and put it all into perspective.

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"I can just imagine him saying, 'Well mate, it's just another game of cricket, a half-volley is a half-volley, you've got to whack it'."

Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe was among other celebrities at the funeral.

Hookes was one of Australia's most popular and charismatic players. He appeared in 23 Tests from 1976-77 to 1985-86 and worked as a media commentator and as coach of Victoria after his retirement.

His death received massive coverage across Australia and his funeral was shown live on national television.

Three stumps were placed at one end of the Adelaide Oval pitch where Hookes scored 20 centuries.

A bat was left resting against the stumps, as the swashbuckling left-hander had done during breaks in play, along with a red South Australia team cap.

Hookes's son Kristofer told mourners: "He was a completely selfless person whose generosity often bordered on the ridiculous."

South Australia captain and Australia batsman Darren Lehmann placed one of Hookes's old bats on the coffin before the crowd-pleaser received his final standing ovation.


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