Star turn out for Hookes' funeral
MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) -- Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting and Oscar winning actor Russell Crowe were among an estimated 15,000 mourners who gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of David Hookes at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.
Former Australia batsman Hookes is best remembered for hitting England captain Tony Greig for five successive fours on his debut at the 1977 Centenary Test in Melbourne.
Greig was among the mourners alongside other Test match greats.
Ex-West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd, former Australia captains Richie Benaud, Mark Taylor and Ian Chappell, and suspended leg spinner Shane Warne paid their respects.
Former Australia players David Boon, Merv Hughes, Ian Healy and Dean Jones and ex-New Zealand captain Martin Crowe were also at the funeral.
Hookes, 48, died on January 19 after suffering serious head injuries and a heart attack in an assault outside a Melbourne hotel the previous night.
He was resuscitated at the scene and rushed to hospital in a coma but never regained consciousness.
"I think that innings (in the Centenary Test) is so typical of David, not only of his cricket career, but his life," Chappell told mourners.
"When everybody else was struggling with the occasion, Hookesy came along and put it all into perspective.
Popular player
"I can just imagine him saying, 'Well mate, it's just another game of cricket, a half-volley is a half-volley, you've got to whack it'."
Hookes was one of Australia's most popular and charismatic players. He appeared in 23 Tests from 1976-77 to 1985-86 and worked as a media commentator and as coach of Victoria after his retirement.
His death received massive coverage across Australia and his funeral was shown live on national television.
Three stumps were placed at one end of the Adelaide Oval pitch where Hookes scored 20 centuries.
A bat was left resting against the stumps, as the swashbuckling left-hander had done during breaks in play, along with a red South Australia team cap.
Hookes's son Kristofer told mourners: "He was a completely selfless person whose generosity often bordered on the ridiculous."
South Australia captain and Australia batsman Darren Lehmann placed one of Hookes's old bats on the coffin before the crowd-pleaser received his final standing ovation.
Copyright 2004
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
