Bowler who delivered fatal ball to Phillip Hughes consoled by teammates after emotional tribute

All eyes were on paceman Sean Abbott at the SCG on Wednesday as New South Wales and Tasmania players stood for a moment of silence for Aussie cricketer Phillip Hughes.

It’s been exactly ten years since Hughes died in Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital surrounded by family and friends, three days before his 26th birthday, but for Abbott life had to go on.

The batsman from Macksville, New South Wales, never recovered from a devastating head injury he sustained after a bouncer delivered by Abbott struck him in the head while he was playing in a Sheffield Shield game for South Australia against NSW at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

On Wednesday morning, Abbott appeared visibly upset during the minute’s silence.

He was consoled by teammates Josh Philippe and Chris Green after the emotional tribute as he wiped tears out of his eyes.

Players passed the plaque commemorating Hughes as they left the Members Pavilion and took the field.

Hughes was hit in the head by a short ball delivered by fast bowler Abbott on November 25, 2014. He died two days later in hospital

Australian international cricketers Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry were among those in attendance.

Flags flew at half-mast and players on both sides wore black armbands at the SCG, as they have across the country in this week’s Shield games.

The family of Hughes have said they hope his exploits and character will be an inspiration for younger cricketers.

‘He shined bright even in the tough times, which is a testament to who he was as a person, and we loved everything about him,’ the family said in a statement issued by Cricket Australia on Wednesday.

‘He was the light of our lives. Phillip had a profound love for his family and lived his life with respect to everyone around him.’

‘Phillip was a loving, humorous and an infectious person to be around,’ Hughes’ family said.

‘He always aimed to make those around him smile and enjoy the little things in life, where his beautiful smile would come to life.’

Hughes’ family hopes The Boy From Macksville, a documentary on his journey, would further honour his life after its release on December 6.

Phillip Hughes’s family described the popular cricketer as ‘the light of our lives’

‘We’d like to thank (everyone) for supporting this endeavour and each person who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for creating a celebration of Phillip’s life,’ said the family, including his father Greg, mother Virginia, sister Megan and brother Jason.

‘We hope we have been able to showcase that dreams really do come true and you will enjoy seeing his family, friends and teammates give more of an insight into his career from his baggy blue, baggy red, baggy green and many more moments in between, including unseen footage that can be watched for generations to come.’

The documentary follows an official biography released in November 2015.

‘We hope between the biography and documentary, young cricketers around the world and everyone that was with Phillip along the way will see the hard working, dedicated, devoted and rare cricketer he was,’ the family said.

‘His extraordinary talent is known by many, but his lasting impression of who he was as a person will always be remembered, which makes us extremely proud of him.

‘Phillip was always proud of the younger cricketing generation he met along the way and was always hoping he could be an inspiration, no matter where you were from, and that is also our hope.’

Hughes, aged 25 when he passed away, played 26 Test matches for Australia between 2009 and 2014 and represented NSW and South Australia in first-class ranks.