Phillip Hughes death: Australia captain Michael Clarke to be pallbearer at Hughes' funeral on Wednesday

Clarke delivered an emotional tribute on behalf of the Australian team on Sunday on what would have been Hughes' 26th birthday

Agency
Tuesday 02 December 2014 07:38 EST
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Australia captain Michael Clarke will act as a pallbearer at Phillip Hughes' funeral in his home town of Macksville on Wednesday.

The funeral of the former Test batsman, who died last week after being hit on the neck by a bouncer in a Sheffield Shield match, will also be attended by the full Australia men's and women's squads and many more major figures from the world of cricket.

The service at Hughes' old school is expected to last an hour and will begin with the opening music 'Forever Young' and conclude with 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me'.

Hughes died three days before his 26th birthday.

West Indies and New Zealand greats Brian Lara and Sir Richard Hadlee will be among those attending, as well as a who's who of Australian cricketers of the past two decades and members of the touring Indian team.

Clarke will also deliver a tribute to his friend, while Hughes' former state and international team-mates Tom Cooper and Aaron Finch will be pall bearers too.

England captain Alastair Cook will not be among them, because he is with his one-day international team in Sri Lanka, but Test batsmen Nick Compton and Sam Robson are expected to be in attendance.

Hughes' funeral will take place on Wednesday
Hughes' funeral will take place on Wednesday (Getty Images)

It is understood the England and Wales Cricket Board will be sending a high-profile representative to Hughes' planned state memorial service - on a date yet to be announced.

Clarke took to Instagram on Tuesday to post a picture of him and Hughes with their arms around each other while playing for Australia, with the message: "Tomorrow is going to be a tough day!"

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