Australia players past and present paid emotional tributes to Phillip Hughes yesterday following the batsman’s death at the age of 25.

Hughes was struck on the head by a bouncer on Tuesday while batting for South Australia against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

David Warner, who was playing in the match and raced to help his stricken friend, was one of a number of players who visited Hughes at St Vincent’s Hospital where he was being treated. He was in tears as he left the hospital.

The pair were teammates for five years at New South Wales and also in the national set-up and Warner posted a picture of them together on Twitter, wearing the Baggy Green with their arms round each other.

He wrote: “Brothers in arms, RIP mate. I will always walk out there forever knowing your by my side. Love you BRAZ!! (sic)”

And ashen-faced Australia captain Michael Clarke said in a statement on behalf of the Hughes family: “We’re devastated by the loss of our much-loved son and brother Phillip. Cricket was Phillip’s life and we as a family shared that love of the game with him. We love you.”

Australia batsman Steve Smith said on Twitter: “Rest in peace Hughesy. I am really going to miss you. You were 1 of the great blokes and I will never forget you. #408 will live on forever.”

Hughes was the 408th man to play Test cricket for Australia.

Australia coach Darren Lehmann tweeted: “RIP you little champ, we are all going to miss you!”

Jason Gillespie, the Yorkshire coach and former Australia fast bowler, said he was “shaking” at the news.

While Australia great Shane Warne described the news of Hughes’s death as “shocking,” “horrific and very, very sad.”

He added: “It’s a sad situation that a great young man who had the world at his feet is no longer with us.

“We all love the entertainment sport gives us so to see something like this, it is something that should never happen.

“I worked closely with the Australia team in March and saw how hard he worked. He loved the game and was very passionate. He was a really good man, he was one of the good guys.”

The ball which struck Hughes was bowled by Sean Abbott and Warne offered his support to the bowler too.

“It’s important for friends and the cricket community to get round Sean Abbott too. I’m sure he’ll be distraught but it’s not his fault. Hopefully he’ll be okay and can bounce back,” he said.