Australian batsman Phillip Hughes is dead

Australian batsman Phillip Hughes who was struck on the head by a cricket ball died in hospital, Cricket Australia (CA) said Thursday.

The 25-year-old Hughes, who represented the national team in 26 Tests between 2009-2013, fractured his skull and suffered catastrophic bleeding in his brain after being hit by bowler Sean Abbot's bouncer in a Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) Tuesday afternoon.

Hughes was carried off the ground on a stretcher and treated on the boundary before being rushed to a hospital where he underwent surgery. The match was abandoned following the incident.

The left-hander Hughes was in an induced coma at St. Vincent's Hospital here after undergoing surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

"He never regained consciousness following his injury on Tuesday," Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said in the statement.

"He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends," Brukner said.

"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 added.

"Cricket Australia kindly asks that the privacy of the Hughes family, players and staff be respected."

A press conference was expected to be held Thursday afternoon.

Hughes scored three Test centuries. He also scored 26 first class centuries and was a prolific scorer for New South Wales, for whom he debuted at the age of 18 and later for South Australia.

Hughes was part of Australia's most recent Test squad, for the series against Pakistan in the UAE, but he was not called on to play a Test in that series.