Hughes was in an induced coma in St Vincent's Hospital after undergoing an emergency operation on Tuesday. The South Australian opener was struck on the head by a bouncer bowled by NSW paceman Sean Abbott.

The game was abandoned after Hughes, 25, was hit in the side of the head when he attempted to hook the bouncer.

While he seemed to compose himself, the former Test opener leant forward, put his hands on his knees and, after a few seconds, he suddenly collapsed head-first on to the pitch.  It was horrific, and the desperation of the moment was reflected by the way the umpires and his former teammates raced to his aid.

Hughes's former Australia and NSW opening batting partner, David Warner, yelled towards the players' pavilion for someone to "phone an ambulance" as he frantically ran to help Hughes.

Blues players Shane Watson, Steve O'Keefe, Peter Nevill, Brad Haddin and Abbott did the best they could as every cricketer's worst nightmare was played out in front of them –  being hit in the head and felled by a ball that had travelled up to 140km/h – and they cradled him as Abbott held Hughes' head in the recovery position.

NSW team doctor John Orchard, who'd worked with the NSW State of Origin rugby league team in ferocious blood-and-bone contests, was on the scene quickly and treated Hughes as he lay prone on the pitch.  A medicab was quickly dispatched and once stabilised, Hughes was placed on a stretcher and rushed towards the visitors' dressing room.

Warner sat across from Orchard, watching his friend intently.

The vehicle came to sudden halt at the boundary rope near the Members' Stand and Orchard disembarked to work on the cricketer. Players who wanted to help surrounded the medicab.

The sight of players, who had only minutes before been locked in a sporting contest – the stony-faced Warner included – holding a white sheet to serve as a screen and provide their friend with some privacy added to the drama and the sadness.

Later, a statement made by a spokesman from St Vincent's Hospital revealed the extent of the battle waged in front of a few hundred people. "I understand he was ventilated at the scene, and arrived at St Vincent's on life support, then underwent scans and surgery," he said.

Phil Hughes started the day as a candidate to replace Michael Clarke in next week's opening Test against India if, as expected, the national team's skipper is ruled out because of his hamstring injury.

Test selector Mark Waugh was at the ground to monitor Hughes, and other players' form, and with a tally of 63 against a formidable bowling attack before he was hit, Hughes would have made a positive impression.

Hughes, who is from Macksville in northern NSW and has an interest in breeding cattle, has played 26 Tests. He scored the first of his three centuries for his country against South Africa when he was only 20.

He'd been in and out of the Australian team and was determined to cement a place in the side. When he left NSW for Adelaide three seasons ago, he said it was to give himself every chance to do that – and many believed he was on the verge.

This tragedy from a mistimed shot extended beyond the boundary – his mother and sister were at the ground to support him.

There's also the impact the moment will probably have on Abbott, a player whose talent was recognised last year when he was named the Steve Waugh Medallist as the state's best player.

He'd only recently broken into international cricket and even though his career is burgeoning, the player described as "gentle-natured" probably bowled hundreds of similar deliveries before with no such consequences.