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Australia Test batsman Phil Hughes has died, two days after being hit on the head by a ball.
Australia team doctor Peter Brukner said he never regained consciousness and died in hospital in Sydney.
Hughes, 25, was carried off on a stretcher at the Sydney Cricket Ground after a short-pitched delivery struck his head, missing his helmet.
He had CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation before being taken to hospital and placed in an induced coma.
In a statement, Brukner said: “It is my sad duty to inform you that a short time ago Phillip Hughes passed away. He never regained consciousness following his injury on Tuesday.
“He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends.
“As a cricket community we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillip’s family and friends at this incredibly sad time.
“Cricket Australia kindly asks that the privacy of the Hughes family, players and staff be respected.”
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott paid tribute to the player, describing Hughes as “a young man living out his dreams”.
“His death is a very sad day for cricket and a heartbreaking day for his family. What happened has touched millions of Australians,” he said.
“For a young life to be cut short playing our national game seems a shocking aberration. He was loved, admired and respected by his team-mates and by legions of cricket fans.”
Australia coach Darren Lehmann, leading the early tributes, tweeted: “RIP you little champ, we are all going to miss you! Love, prayers to all the Hughes family.”
Hughes, batting for South Australia, collapsed face first on the ground after being hit by the bouncer from Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield game against New South Wales.
He was treated on the pitch before being rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney where he had a 90-minute operation to relieve pressure on his brain.
Doctors did not give details on the extent of Hughes’s injuries but the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said his skull was fractured and the Sydney Morning Herald reported that he had suffered catastrophic bleeding in his brain.
BBC