'Bouncer bowler' Sean Abbott returns to bowling ahead of late Hughes' funeral

Australian bowler Sean Abbott, who delivered the bouncer that proved fatal for Phillip Hughes, returned to bowling on Tuesday on the eve of the late batsman's funeral, which the paceman attended alongside his domestic side New South Wales teammates.

A mounting concern has been shown for the talented and hardworking Abbott since he delivered the ball that tragically struck Hughes on the neck below the helmet in a freak accident during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG last week.

Abbott made his Australian ODI and T20 debuts just two months ago, and in an encouraging sign he would attempt to return to cricket as soon as possible, News.com.au reported.

Tuesday's NSW training session was optional, but the vast majority of the domestic squad was on hand.

NSW and Cricket Australia officials have been careful to point out that Abbott isn't alone in feeling traumatized by last week's events, others like David Warner and Brad Haddin were also immediately around the bat when the incident occurred.

However, there has been an outpouring of concern for Abbott from around the cricketing world for the unthinkable position the bowler found himself in.

Doug Bollinger and other teammates have rallied around Abbott since last Tuesday, and the young star has spent time with Hughes' sister Megan and skipper Michael Clarke.

Hundreds of current and former players converged on Macksville on Wednesday to pay their respects to Hughes during the late batsman's funeral ceremony, the report added.