The son of a northern NSW banana farmer who had to scrap for everything as a cricketer South Australian Cricket Association's high performance manager and former coach of Australia Tim Neilson asks for privacy and respect for Phil Hughes and his family throughout the next 24-48 hours Phillip Hughes is the son of a banana farmer who ploughed through 12-hour days in the fields in Macksville. GROWING up on a rural banana plantation helped Phillip Hughes become a gutsy little fighter at the cricket crease. Now he faces the biggest fight of his life. The son of a banana farmer who ploughed through 12-hour days in the fields in Macksville northern NSW, Hughes had to scrap for everything as a cricketer. Australia was last night praying he kept up the fight with Hughes gravely ill in hospital after being struck by a short-pitched delivery while batting in a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney. The sporting community was in shock as social media went into meltdown with messages of support for the batsman and his family. ""Our thoughts and prayers are with Phil and his family. He is a great fighter and a great young man,"" Australian coach Darren Lehmann tweeted. India's first-Test skipper Virat Kohli tweeted: Fight it out mate. You are a top man. All the strength goes out to you and your family."" Hughes, 25, might be small in stature but he has a big heart and is as tough as they come. Despite being dropped from Australia's Test cricket side three times, he was pressing strongly for selection in next week's first Test against India at the Gabba. Hughes once played rugby league alongside Queensland Maroons and Australian star Greg Inglis but the two took very different journeys to the top of their sporting mountains. Inglis was the untouchable, looked like he could almost walk on water and was always destined for greatness. Hughes" best mate, Dad Greg, threw so many cricket balls to him as a kid that his shoulder once popped out. Phillip Hughes immediately after being struck. Mum Virginia has Italian blood and filled in her spare time selling raffle tickets to fund Hughes" cricket trips as a teenager. The raffle tickets, sold at pubs in Macksville, also raised enough money to buy the young Hughes a bowling machine to ease the strain on his dad's sore arm. From the no-nonsense roots of his working-class family emerged a tough little cricket street-fighter who had the heart to tangle with the world's most fearsome and aggressive fast bowlers. But it never came easy. Hughes" first Test innings was over after only four balls and no runs on the scoreboard, caught behind after playing a wild swipe against Dale Steyn in South Africa in 2009. NSW wicketkeeper looks worried and signals for help as Phillip Hughes lies prone on the ground. His next Test shone the light on his incredible talent, recovering from a shaky start to make scores of 115 and 160 against the best pace bowling attack in world cricket. In the process Hughes became the youngest man to score a century in each innings of a Test match. It started a roller-coaster international career where his quirky batting technique was often questioned, but his heart for a contest was never in doubt. Hughes was dropped during the 2009 Ashes when England's pacemen sensed and exploited his weakness against the short ball, something that he constantly had to work on through his career. He was axed again when he became the batting bunny for New Zealand seamer Chris Martin during Australia's Test series in 2011. Perhaps his leaning towards strong off-side play was because of his upbringing. A sheet is erected as Phillip Hughes receives treatment near the boundary rope at the SCG. If the teenage Hughes hit the ball to square leg in his backyard banana plantation, he would be out. There were plenty more ins and outs, highlights and lowlights, in his international career. But through it all, Hughes kept his good nature, was extremely polite and respectful and never forgot where he came from. It showed when he quietly decided to sponsor an annual prize for a promising junior cricketer in Macksville. The lucky winner collected a new cricket kit and an all-expenses paid trip to Sydney for a private coaching lesson with Hughes. True to his Macksville roots, Hughes has always been at his most animated when he starts talking about his love of cattle and the country. An ambulance service chopper lands at the SCG. "I love angus cattle," Hughes once said. If there's time at the Easter Show I'd love to go and have a look. That's the country coming out in me. ""My dad is like my best mate. If there's nothing to talk about, then we talk about one thing - we always come back to the cattle. It makes me very happy after the phone call to him. ""I wouldn't say I'm the loudest guy going around. I'm not sure, maybe it's because I'm from the country."" Michael Clarke arrives at St Vincent's Hospital after Phillip Hughes was admitted. Hughes" motto - "be your own man" - was instilled in him by his father from a young age. The cricketer has always liked and lived it. It was why he decided to hang out in Anthony Mundine's corner for one of The Man's fights. Hughes and Mundine appear like chalk and cheese but the boxer has always been a hero. "I love him as a sportsman," Hughes once said. How he trains and how he goes about things. I've always looked up to him.