Australian cricket player Phil Hughes dies after being hit by ball: Report

Australian cricket star Phil Hughes, who suffered a head injury during a Sheffield Shield game at Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday, has died.

Hughes collapsed face first on the ground after being hit by a ball thrown by bowler Sean Abbott two days ago. The 25-year-old batsman was stretchered off the pitch before being put in a medically-induced coma at a hospital.

Australia team doctor Peter Brukner said he passed away at St. Vincent's Hospital, never regaining consciousness.

Hughes — batting for South Australia — had been wearing a helmet but the ball unintentionally struck him at the top of the neck, causing the freak injury.

Injury that killed Phillip Hughes was so rare doctors at hospital hadn't seen if before. http://t.co/GFqdwjjXNM pic.twitter.com/8Hnw7K2V1c
— The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) November 27, 2014

Medical staff administered CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the stadium field before Hughes was taken to the emergency room, where he had a 90-minute operation to relieve pressure on his brain.

Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes dies in hospital 2 days after being struck in head by ball http://t.co/Zun9nMfdX7 pic.twitter.com/sOUcYvjtU1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 27, 2014

The injury has re-ignited debate about short-pitch bowling in the sport and the level of protection offered by helmets that first came into popular use in the late 1970s. 

Head injuries in cricket are more common than one might think, and there have been six other recorded deaths in cricket related to them since 1958.

R.I.P. Phillip Hughes.