Yesterday afternoon, South Australian batsman Phil Hughes was rushed to St. Vincent’s Hospital in critical condition after being struck in the head by a bouncer from the Blues’ Sean Abbott.
ABC News report that, as of this morning, his condition remains critical, and after surgery to relieve pressure from bleeding on the brain, has been placed in an induced coma in the intensive care unit.
The Australian team’s doctor Peter Bruckner said that Hughes will have further scans later on today, and there will be more information on his condition after that.
Hughes was wearing a helmet when he was hit, but per reports, footage of the incident shows the ball connecting with him just under the base of it, and hitting the back of his skull.
The cricketing community has rallied around 22-year-old Sean Abbott, who was reportedly distraught after Hughes was struck by his ball yesterday at the SCG.
Dean Jones, Nathan Bracken and Adam Gilchrist have all sent messages of support, telling the young all-rounder to “stay strong” and assuring him that Hughes’ injury was not his fault.
Meanwhile, as has been widely reported, ABC News found themselves widely criticised yesterday when a Tweet about Hughes was slammed as being hugely irresponsible and insensitive.
They have since retracted and apologised for the Tweet in question.
Photo: Ryan Pierse via Getty Images
