The funeral of Australian Test cricketer Phillip Hughes began to the strains of a song entitled “Forever Young” in his hometown of Macksville on Wednesday as a nation united to celebrate the life of a sportsman cut down in his prime. Cricket luminaries and fans gathered for the emotional funeral of Hughes, whose death from a freak on-field injury brought his grieving hometown to a standstill.

Cricket bats stood silent sentry outside schools and homes, many adorned with messages for their favourite son. Hughes died on Nov 27 from bleeding on the brain, two days after being knocked unconscious by a bouncer while batting during a domestic match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, throwing the cricketing world into mourning.