Rhyan Singh, 17, returns to cricket after he was allegedly ambushed by machete wielding youths

A Tarneit cricket prodigy — who nearly had a finger sliced off when he was allegedly attacked by machete wielding teens — has made his inspirational return to the field 18 months on.

Rhyan Singh has made a triumphant return to cricket a year after he was brutally ambushed. Picture: Supplied

A Tarneit cricket prodigy who had “a chunk” of his hand sliced off when he was allegedly ambushed by machete wielding youths has made an inspirational return to the field despite fears he would never play again.

Rhyan Singh, 17, was told by doctors and hand specialists he may never hold a cricket bat again after his little finger was nearly sliced off during an alleged random attack where he was knocked unconscious at a Tarneit skatepark in July last year.

But 18 months on from the horrific scenes which had him “fear for (his) life”, he made his successful return to the sport he loved — doing so in style.

After earning a place in the fourths team for Victorian Premier League club Footscray Rhyan wasted little time, opening the batting and scoring a half-century in his second innings back.

Hundreds of people have gathered at a rally to support Tarneit teenager Rhyan Singh to call for tougher youth crime laws after he was brutally stabbed in a random attack in a Tarneit park. L to R father- Rajiv Singh, Rhyan Singh and mother Sushma Manandhar. Picture: David Crosling

Rhyan Singh, 16, was brutally stabbed while celebrating his 16th birthday in July 2023. Picture supplied.

He said he was “overwhelmed” by support from his new teammates.

“It’s great to have the feel of the bat again and be in a game situation,” he said.

“I’m just trying to stay focused but it’s been good to get back into it.

“With the injury I sustained there was a lot of nerve damage and a chance I would never play again ... mentally I didn’t know that I wanted to go back, it was really challenging.

“Everyone has been really supportive, people obviously knew about it because news travels quickly but it’s been great having a good support crew at Footscray.”

At the time of the alleged attack Rhyan had broken into the Western Region U17 representative team, catching the eye of recruiters as one of Wyndham’s best young talents.

But the alleged attack — on his 16th birthday — placed his cricket plans on hold as he underwent eight hours of micro surgery and sessions with hand specialists in addition to fighting the mental demons which came with not being able to play.

He said it was his involvement with coaching and umpiring at his local club which motivated him further to complete his recovery and return to the game.

“I had to take a year off and I knew it would either be me losing interest or getting involved in other ways, which I did through coaching and umpiring just to stay involved as much as I can.

“I tried not to think about (the attack). I tried to focus my energy on what mattered and that was reminding myself that I’m on my own path which is different to everyone else’s.”

Last year more than 350 people attended a rally in support of Rhyan in Tarneit.