Phil Hughes No More: Australian Batsman Dies at 25

Australian cricketer Phil Hughes has passed away after having been hit by a bouncer on Tuesday. He was batting for South Australia when NSW fast bowler Sean Abbott's bouncer hit his head during a Sheffield Shield game at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

According to Australia team doctor Peter Brukner, Hughes never recovered after he had been knocked down unconscious. Brukner confirmed the news that Hughes, who had been kept in induced coma following surgery, succumbed to death in St Vincent's Hospital. The 25-year-old was given CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the field after Abbott's short-pitch delivery had missed his helmet and hit the side of the head. He was later taken off SCG on a stretcher. Hughes later underwent a 90-minute surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

Brukner said that it was his "sad" responsibility to inform the press about Hughes' death. "He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends," BBC quoted Brukner, "As a cricket community we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillip's family and friends at this incredibly sad time." He also said that Cricket Australia had kindly asked everyone to respect the privacy of the Hughes family, players and staff.

Masuri, the UK manufacturer which made Hughes' helmet, earlier claimed that the NSW cricketer was not wearing the latest one. The company said that the latest model would have offered him "extra protection" in the area which had been left unprotected due to the older design. The players who witnessed Hughes's injury would reportedly be given psychological counselling. The Australian Cricketers' Association and Cricket Australia are going to work together so that the support can be arranged. ACA Chief Executive Alastair Nicholson said the ACA was working closely with CA to arrange the appropriate counselling for those affected.

Former Indian test cricketer Raman Lamba was hit on the head while he was fielding at forward short leg. The incident happened in 1998 when he was playing for a leading cricket club in Bangladesh. Batsman Mehrab Hossain hit the ball so hard that it hit Lamba's head and went into the wicketkeeper's gloves. Lamba, who was not wearing any helmet, slipped into coma after suffering an internal haemorrhage. He was declared dead after three days.

Other cricketers who died on the field

Zulfiqar Bhatti & Abdul Aziz (Pakistan), Daren Randal (South Africa) and George Smerz & Ayan Folay (England)

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au