Phillip Hughes inquest

BBC News reports say that, of twenty-three bouncers bowled by NSW on 25 November 2014, 20 of them were bowled to Phillip Hughes, and the bouncer that killed him was the 9th consecutve one he faced.

According to the BBC, NSW's Australian internationals Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger and David Warner "denied there was any element of unsportsmanlike behaviour in the match, sentiments echoed by Tom Cooper, who was batting alongside Hughes at the time of the incident." Really?

But NSW coroner Michael Barnes found it "difficult to accept" that sledging, defined as "verbal abuse designed to unsettle a batsman" and described by Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland as "in the spirit of the game", had not taken place. Mr Sutherland added that "If [sledging] has become a problem, then I'd say the umpires are not doing their job." Really?

The NSW coroner went on to say he also found that "the emergency response to the incident was flawed and it took six minutes to call an ambulance."

He said "on-field umpires and the match referee, who is not based on the field of play but in the stands, should be trained to recognise and act on a medical emergency." Really?

"We want to do everything possible to avoid this sort of thing happening again in the future," [said] Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland.

Cricket Australia said helmets should be compulsory against fast and medium paced bowling (really?) and the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) is also working to improve helmet safety standards. The PCA said: "Player safety is of paramount importance and we will continue to work... to minimise the risk of serious injury to players." Really?

So, to sum up:

1. Phillip Hughes faced 20 of the 23 bouncers bowled on 25 November 2014.

2. The ball that killed him was the 9th consecutive ball he had faced.

3. Four cricketers denied sledging had taken place.

4. Sledging is verbal abuse designed to unsettle a batsman.

5. Sledging is in the spirit of the game of cricket.

6. It is up to umpires, not players, to control the degree of sledging that goes on. Otherwise, they're not doing their job.

7. But it's ok for cricketers to continue doing it because it's in the spirit of the game.

8. Umpires should add medical expertise to their skill set and job description and act accordingly on the field, as well as carry out the duties they're there for, umpiring a game of cricket.

9. Player safety is of paramount importance, but it's ok to bowl 20 bouncers to a batsman and nine on the trot.

10. NSW, Cricket Australia and the PCA, and Sean Abbott must be relieved that "nobody was to blame for the death of Phillip Hughes" and that the answer lies in Phillip Hughes's competitiveness, equipment failure, tardiness in alerting emergency services, and umpires' inadequacies in dealing with medical emergencies.

Wouldn't it be easier and quicker all round to just ban bouncers and stamp out sledging?

Does anyone really believe the evidence of Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger and David Warner?

Is it any surprise that Phillip Hughes's family walked out of the adjourned inquest last month and weren't present at yesterday's findings?