Phillip Hughes continues to fight for his life, one day after he was struck on the head by a ball in a freak accident while playing a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The 25-year-old remained in an induced coma on Wednesday afternoon, Cricket Australia team doctor, Peter Brukner, said.

‘Phillip’s condition is unchanged and he remains critical,’ Dr Brukner said.

‘If there are any further developments we will let you know immediately.’

Hughes was batting for South Australia in the match against NSW when a delivery from fast bowler Sean Abbott struck him on the head.

He paused for breath with his hands on his knees before collapsing face-first into the pitch. Players and officials rushed to his aid.

NSW team doctor John Orchard worked on Hughes while he was still on the field before he was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

He underwent emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain.

The match was abandoned.

Cricket NSW assembled the Blues players and staff at the club’s headquarters in Moore Park on Wednesday morning to ensure they were getting all the counselling and support they needed.

‘[The NSW players] are doing it tough obviously,’ Cricket NSW boss Andrew Jones said. ‘They were pretty shaken up – it’s not what you expect to happen in a game of cricket.

‘Phil was in a pretty bad way when it happened and … they were the first responders … the first guys on the scene of what was a horrible accident.’

Earlier on Wednesday, Dr Brukner said Hughes would ‘have further scans later today and we hope to be able to provide you with some more information following the scans’.

Hughes made his Test debut against South Africa at the Wanderers in February 2009, and was out for a fourth-ball duck, caught behind by Mark Boucher off Dale Steyn.

He followed that up with a 75 in the second innings in a game won by Australia. A week later he hit back-to-back hundreds to announce his arrival on the Test scene.

Scorecard of Hughes’ hundreds against South Africa in Durban

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