Hughes tragedy: Deliveries or death blows?

Despite protective gear having improved significantly over the years, batsmen still continue to remain unsafe during a cricket match.
A case in point is Phil Hughes' death - the Australian cricketer was injured on Tuesday after being hit by a bouncer during a game in Australia. The batsman passed away day before yesterday after battling the head injury in a Sydney hospital.Hughes' misfortune has set the alarm bells ringing on the safety of cricketers.
While bowlers generally get smashed by batsmen during a game, it's the batsmen who have mostly been at the receiving end when it comes to suffering injuries. Here is a list of some serious injuries sustained on the 22 yards.
Some serious injuries sustained on the 22-yards over the years:
Infamous Bodyline Series
While the Bodyline tactic was devised primarily to negate the genius of Don Bradman, it tested other batsmen as well in the series. In the infamous Bodyline Series in 1932-33, Australian wicketkeeper Bert Oldfield had to be carried from the ground unconscious, after his skull got fractured by a ball from English fast bowler Harold Larwood in the third Test at Adelaide. He stumbled away from the crease and was surrounded by England's fielders. During the series, Australian Captain Bill Woodfull, with regard to the Bodyline bowling attack, said, "There are two teams out there. One is trying to play cricket and the other is not."
Skull Injury
Zimbabwe batsman Mark Vermeulen fractured his skull while batting against India in Brisbane in 2004. The young batsman edged a pull shot to a short, rising ball which missed his helmet grill and struck his skull. Though he was able to walk off the ground, X-rays taken later showed he had suffered a depressed fracture. Three psychiatric reports after he burned down his National Cricket Academy proved that the sickening blow to the head had led to partial complex epilepsy and impulsive behaviour disorder. The talented batsman had previously also suffered a hairline skull fracture during a net session at the 2003 World Cup.
Heart-Stopping Ball
West Indian batsman Phil Simmons was the same age as Phil Hughes when he took a blow on the head from a short ball during a tour match against Gloucestershire. Hit by a ball by David Lawrence in 1988, his heart stopped and he required an emergency surgery. The Trinidadian, who recovered fully following his life-saving brain surgery, had expressed hope that Australia's Phil Hughes would be as lucky as he was with his recovery. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
Painful Blow
Fresh from the humiliating defeat in The Ashes against Australia, the England team took on New Zealand in 1975 and tested them with bouncers. A genuine No 11 batsman, Ewen Chatfield, nearly died after being struck in the temple by a Peter Lever bouncer rendering him unconscious and not breathing. The English team physio realised that Chatfield had swallowed his tongue and quickly administered CPR to save his life. The Kiwi medium pacer was rushed to the hospital to treat the fractured skull.
Destiny's Cruel Blow To Contractor
In 1962, Nari Contractor suffered a skull fracture as a result of facing a delivery by Charlie Griffith that nearly killed him. The stylish southpaw's injury is a perfect example of destiny playing a cruel hand. Contractor, who was initially not in the playing eleven, got a chance as others were not fit. Next, he was dropped a ball earlier. And finally, there was a disturbance by some movement in the dressing room, which he decided to sort out after the delivery, but it was too late. Though he recovered from the injury, his international career came to an end after that.
Jaw Breaker
Australian cricketer David Hookes, who later became the coach of the Victorian cricket team, ended up with a broken jaw when a bouncer from Andy Roberts struck him hard at the Sydney Showground in 1977 while playing against the West Indies. The left-handed aggressive stroke player clutched his head immediately after being hit on the jaw. Hookes, the rising star of Australian batting then, was never the same batsman after that.