Abbott, Starc sit out grade cricket return

Sean Abbott will sit on the sidelines as Sydney grade cricket returns to the field this weekend for the first time since the death of Phillip Hughes.

Cricket NSW said that Abbott and fast bowling teammate Mitchell Starc had both opted out of this weekend's round of fixtures. 

Abbott's club side is Sydney University while Starc plays for Western Suburbs, the same team that Hughes got his start with when he moved to Sydney as a teenager from his hometown of Macksville on the NSW mid-north coast.

Hughes, 25, died last Thursday, two days after he was struck while batting for South Australia during a Sheffield Shield game against NSW at the SCG. He had been hit on the neck by a short-pitched delivery from 22-year-old rising star Abbott.

The global cricket family has rallied around Abbott in the wake of the incident, which has been described by medical professionals as a "one in a billion" freak occurance. No blame has been attached to Abbott and he bravely joined his NSW teammates in attending Hughes's funeral in Macksville on Wednesday.

Pat Cummins, Steven O'Keefe, Moises Henriques, Doug Bollinger and Peter Nevill will be among the players to take the field for their clubs this weekend.

NSW are sheduled to resume their Sheffield Shield season on Tuesday, December 9, back at the SCG. 

The team is understood to be gathering on Sunday when players will have the opportunity to decide on their availability for the coming Shield round. A squad for that match is likely to be announced on Monday.

Abbott and Hughes had been teammates, both at NSW and in Australia's limited-overs sides. They made their T20 international debuts together on Australia's tour of the UAE against Pakistan, where the young allrounder impressed with his bowling.

A successful debut in that match and, a few days later, in Australia's one-day international side, had Abbott flying high when he sat down with cricket.com.au in Dubai in October (video below).