Candace Sutton gives an insight into Hughes' family life growing up in the country to become an Australian international, and the resilience that kept him at the top. She writes for the Daily Mail and Daily Mail Australia:, external

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"Phillip Hughes was the son of banana farmer from the northern New South Wales town of Macksville who was dropped from the Australian Test team five times, but who never gave up is being remembered for his defiant attitude in the face of adversity."

"The left-handed opener was the son of Greg Hughes, who cleared a patch on his farm for young Phil to practice cricket, and mother Virginia, who is of Italian origin.

"Growing up with sister, Megan, and brother, Jason, as a teenager he often helped out hauling heavy bunches of bananas for the family business."

A selection of tributes on Twitter from cricket players around the world:

Former South Africa fast bowler Shaun Pollock: "Absolutely shocked to hear the news of Phil Hughes passing away. Thoughts and prays are with his family as well as Sean Abbott."

South African cricketer AB de Villiers: "Heart broken. A very dark day. You will be missed, Phil Hughes. My prayers and thoughts go out to his family & friends."

South African fast bowler Dale Steyn: "Totally saddened by the passing of our cricket brother and friend Phil Hughes. Terrible loss. Deepest condolences to his family."

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The news of Phillip Hughes' death broke around 04:30 GMT.

Shortly after, Australia captain and close friend Michael Clarke read a short statement to the media on behalf of Hughes' family - at the Sydney hospital where he had been treated.

See a short video clip here.

Australia has shown an outpouring grief in the wake of Phillip Hughes' death.

"His death is a very sad day for cricket and a heartbreaking day for his family.

"What happened has touched millions of Australians," said Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Kevin Pietersen has told the Daily Telegraph, external about the Phillip Hughes he knew.

"He was the kind of fellow player you always liked to keep an eye on from afar.

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"I would always look out for his scores and hope he had made runs because he batted with a wonderful spirit and freedom.

"He made the absolute most of his ability and wanted to entertain the supporters by playing cricket in the positive style we all love to watch."

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Jack De Menezes in The Independent, external considers six law changes cricket could consider in the wake of Phillip Hughes' death.

As well as making suggestions, the report also looks at the problems the game could face if seeking to implement change.

The Guardian has led the tributes, external to Phillip Hughes in today's newspapers here in the UK.

Cricket writer Russell Jackson writes:

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"Phillip Hughes subverted a lot of cliches about his generation of cricketer. Hard-working and modest, his strokes didn't come from the textbook but they were endlessly-honed in the nets.

"With no small amount of chutzpah he'd moved away from his family's Macksville farm at 16 to pursue his cricketing dream in Sydney grade cricket.

"Phillip Joel Hughes seemed destined for greatness at a young age. It was a level of expectation and pressure that Hughes wore with humility and a path for which he prepared himself diligently."

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A Baggy Green Australia cap is left among the tributes outside the Grace Gates at Lord's earlier in memory of Phillip Hughes.

Image source, @HomeOfCricket

Lord's tweets this tribute:, external #PhilHughes A fitting tribute by @Middlesex_CCC, external Director of Cricket Angus Fraser

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Floral tributes are left outside the Grace Gate at Lord's Cricket Ground.

Phillip Hughes represented both Australia and Middlesex on the famous ground during his career.

The Daily Telegraph's chief sports writer Paul Hayward says cricket may take years to recover, external from Phillip Hughes' death.

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"If cricket was unprepared for the funeral of a 25-year-old batter who was on the verge of a recall to the Australia team - and was hailed as a boy wonder on an Ashes tour of these shores - then the process of feeling 'normal' about cricket again will take years, not months, and may never reach its end."

More from Nick Compton on his reaction to Hughes' death: "You're talking about a guy who was really loved by everyone he played with.

"He had so many friends, the well-wishing has been phenomenal.

"It's more of an insight into what a tremendous guy he was and as I say he had a huge impact on my own career and the way he viewed things."

BBC Radio 5 live

England Test opener Nick Compton has been talking about Phillip Hughes on 5 live drive in the last hour:

"He was a very, very close friend of mine.

"He had a huge impact on my own career at a time when I probably needed it most.

"He was a cheeky funny positive guy, he never complained. He always came over and made the most of everything.

"Looking back, I feel like he's made the most of his 25 years and it breaks my heart to think of a guy who I certainly thought would go down in the record books as one of the better run-scorers in Australian cricket."

BBC Radio 5 live

A quick reminder that BBC Radio 5 live have a special programme tonight in tribute to Phillip Hughes.

Between 19:00 and 20:00 GMT, Eleanor Oldroyd will be joined by former England captain Michael Vaughan, BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew and Kevin Pietersen.

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She'll also hear from Dominic Cork, Tim Nielsen, the high performance director of Hughes's South Australia side and ABC's Jim Maxwell.

After 21:00 GMT, the programme will be live in Melbourne as Australia wakes up.

Alison Mitchell will be joined by ABC's lead broadcaster Gerard Whateley and Chloe Saltau, chief cricket writer at The Age as they gauge the reaction Down Under.

They'll also speak to the former Australian batsman Michael Slater and Hughes' former Baggy Green team-mate Adam Gilchrist.

Joe Wilson
BBC Sport correspondent

BBC sports news and cricket correspondent Joe Wilson gives his insight into the debate surrounding whether cricket should change following today's tragic news:

"Since the 1930s, we know aggressive bowling has always been a part of the game, but never imagining that it could lead to the death of a batsman.

"What has changed in cricket is the level of protection batsmen wear, they've gone from a culture of avoiding the ball to a culture of going after it.

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"Hughes was an Australian dream, he really went after the ball and that was how he played. While helmets have heavy protection for the front of the head, what happened in this case was that Hughes turned his head and the ball struck him on the neck.

"The fact this worst case scenario has happened, cricket can't forget that now."

BBC Radio 5 live

Andrew Ramsey, a writer for the Australia Cricket website, tells BBC Radio 5 live how Phillip Hughes developed an unorthodox shot-style through the offside because of the structure of the garden he played in growing up:

"It was a very unorthodox technique, but he could work so hard on eradicating the errors people held against him. He could hit the ball to places most people can't," he said.

Image source, Getty Images

"He was close to his community. Every chance he got he would go back to New South Wales and help his dad out there. It's very difficult to find anyone to say anything bad about Phil Hughes. He was a consummate professional who got the job done.

"He was a New South Wales boy who moved to South Australia for more opportunities - the game in which he was hit was against New South Wales so the opponents were also his friends who had known him for years, so there is a lot of hurt in Australian cricket."

Here's a selection of your tributes to Phillip Hughes in the BBC Sport Facebook, external page:

Philby J Jarvis:, external It's hard to believe - a talent taken too soon

Luke Holden:, external Talk about a freak accident! Its hard to see but cricket is actually one of the safest sports and this still happens. So sad. God knows what the bowler is going through now.

Ameet Pandit:, external A sad day for cricket. RIP Phil Hughes. Sean Abbot - stay strong.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, former bowler and England bowling coach Peter Lever shared his memories of a Test match in 1975, when he bowled a bouncer that hit batsman Ewen Chatfield, who fell to the ground swallowing his tongue.

Chatfield eventually made a full recovery.

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"My accuracy came unstuck a bit and the ball got too close to him. There was a nick on the bat, it hit him on the temple and down he went," Lever said.

"It's a very difficult thing to handle. Sean Abbott certainly won't be sleeping for the next few weeks, that's for sure.

"I honestly do not know how they can help a young fellow who has simply bowled a delivery at cricket.

"Sean will have to deal with it, I'm sure he's got many friends to help him, but he has got to come to terms with what has happened."

Jim Maxwell, the Australian cricket broadcaster, says Hughes was "natural, phlegmatic, laconic, affable and easily engaged."

The ABC commentator wrote his tribute and insight into the 25-year-old's upbringing and development into a Test international for the BBC Sport website here.

Image source, Getty Images

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The big screen at Trent Bridge in Nottingham displays its own tribute to Phillip Hughes.

Hughes scored 81 not out on the ground in the Ashes Test match against England in 2013 in a then world-record 10th-wicket partnership with Ashton Agar.