Abbott's hospital visit to Hughes

The global cricket community has continued to rally around bowler Sean Abbott following the shocking news of the death of batsman Phillip Hughes.

It was revealed on Thursday that Abbot had visited St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney on Wednesday, where Hughes lay in intensive care and fighting for his life.

Abbott delivered the ball, a short-pitched delivery not unlike ones Hughes had faced hundreds of times previously, that so fatefully and lucklessly struck Hughes during Tuesday's NSW-South Australia Sheffield Shield match.

Cricket Australia's team doctor Peter Brukner said Abbott had visited St Vincent's and spoken to a member of the Hughes family, as well as a lengthy chat with Australia captain Michael Clarke.

Hughes died on Thursday afternoon, peacefully and without pain, having never regained consciousness following the blow.

Dr Brukner said the impact of the ball with a vulnerable part of Hughes’s neck had caused an extremely rare medical condition.

He explained the "freakish" injury was the result of the blow compressing one of the main arteries leading to the brain, causing it to split.

Dr Brukner said there had only been 100 cases of such a condition in medical records, and only once previously in cricket.

The rarity of the injury and the unluckiness that befell Hughes would have been of little comfort to Abbott, a 22-year-old allrounder who most recently toured with Hughes during Australia's visit to the UAE in October.

Abbott and Hughes made their Twenty20 international debuts together on that tour, and the allrounder later spoke about receiving his first international cap alongside his friends.

"I'm pretty close mates with all four guys that made our (T20) debut on the same day," Abbott told cricket.com.au in Dubai in October. Cameron Boyce and Kane Richardson also were on debut in Australia's six-wicket win.

"To share something like that with guys that you're friends with and played a bit of cricket with was something special."

Dr Brukner struggled to keep his emotions in check when speaking about Abbott on Thursday.  

"Sean came to the hospital yesterday (Wednesday)," he said.

"He’s been receiving a lot of support from Cricket NSW and his teammates.

"When he came to the hospital yesterday, Michael Clarke came down and spent a significant amount of time with him.

"And then Phillip’s sister Megan came and deliberately spent time with Sean.

"Obviously what Sean has gone through is an incredibly traumatic experience as it has been for everyone who was present on the field on that day.

"Sean is receiving all possible support from Cricket NSW and Cricket Australia and his teammates."