EX-HAMPSHIRE and England cricketer Shaun Udal has paid tribute to former team-mate Phil Hughes, who has died after being hit on the head by a delivery while playing in Australia.

Hughes, who was 25, tragically passed away overnight, leaving Udal, who captained the Australian international when he played for Middlesex in 2009, in a state of shock.

“Phil was a really good guy to have in the dressing room and was always polite and well-mannered,” Udal, who lives in Basingstoke, told The Gazette. “He was an absolute champion and the highest praise I can pay him as a man is that if my 10-year-old boy turns out anything like him, I will be ecstatic.

“It was bad enough when I heard that he had been hit and I was just hoping that he would pull through, but sadly it was not to be. It’s awful news.

“I cannot get it out of my head that such a young, talented cricketer and a great human being is not with us any more. It’s an absolute tragedy and I’m absolutely devastated. I just cannot believe that this has happened and am sat at my desk in shock.”

Hughes was hit on the back of the head, just below his helmet, by a Sean Abbott bouncer during a domestic game in Sydney on Tuesday.

He collapsed on the field and had to be resuscitated at the ground before being taken to St Vincent’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. However, he never regained consciousness and died earlier today.

For Udal, Hughes’ death has also brought back memories of an incident in 2009, when he was knocked unconscious for five minutes after being hit just behind his left ear.

“The ball hit me half on the helmet and half on the head, so the helmet probably saved me, and what happened to Phil has brought back memories of that,” Udal said. “What happened to Phil was just a freak accident and I do not think that any helmet in the world could have saved him.”