Clarke still feels Hughes’ spirit

Michael Clarke says he still feels Phillip Hughes’ spirit with him in delivering an emotional tribute at the late cricketer’s funeral.

Choking back tears, Test captain Clarke told Hughes’ funeral “his spirit is still with me and I hope it never leaves.”

“I don’t know about you, but I keep looking for him,” Clarke said.

Clarke said “the spirit of cricket” had been enlivened following Hughes’ death.

“This is what makes our game the greatest game in the world,” he said.

An obviously emotional Clarke added: “we must dig in and get through to tea and we must play on. So rest in peace my little brother, see you out in the middle.”

He said he now felt Hughes’ spirit with him at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

“I lent down to the SCG grass … I swear he was with me.”

“His spirit has touched it and it will forever be a sacred (ground).”

“It’s now forever the place where he fell”

Sobbing, Clarke said Hughes would “call me a sook” if he saw him, but went on to speak about the love Hughes had for cricket and “the heart of a man who lived his life for this wonderful game we play”.

Clarke said the “love of my band of baggy green brothers and sisters” had kept him going.

“Phillip’s spirit which is now part of our game forever will act as a custodian of the game we all love. We must listen to it, we must cherish it, we must learn from it, we must dig in,’ he said.

“We must get through to tea.”

After concluding his eulogy, Clarke placed his speech under the flowers laid across Hughes’ funeral casket.

Clarke was one of eight pallbearers including Hughes’ father Gregory and brother Jason to carry the casket out of the Macksville High school hall at the conclusion of the service.

Clarke kept his head bowed on the short walk to the waiting hearse, and at times rubbed his face and eyes.

The Test captain is now expected to attend a private wake with friends and family of the late cricketer.

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