A sickening hit on Phillip Hughes stuns a nation Phil Hughes remains in a critical condition at St Vincent's Hospital after an incident at the SCG with doctors reporting the extent of the injury won't be known for at least 24 hours 25-year-old in induced coma after being struck on head by bouncer Family maintain bedside vigil, mother and sister were at the game From Macksville, northern NSW, batsman has 26 Australian caps Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin both visited the hopital early CRICKET Australia doctor Peter Brukner has revealed Phillip Hughes remains in a critical condition following yesterday's accident at the SCG and more scans will be conducted today. Dr Brukner made a brief statement on Hughes" condition this morning outside St Vincent's Hospital. "Phil remains in a critical condition," he said. He will have further scans later on today and we hope to be able to provide you with some more information following the scans. Hughes was rushed to nearby St Vincent's Hospital after being struck behind the ear by a bouncer from NSW paceman Sean Abbott at about 2.23pm yesterday afternoon at Sydney Cricket Ground. Brad Haddin arrives at St Vincent's Hospital to see how friend and former team-mate Phillip Hughes this morning. Michael Clarke arrives at St Vincent's Hospital to see how friend and former team-mate Phillip Hughes this morning. The 25-year-old South Australian batsman underwent emergency surgery and was placed in an induced coma. Dr Brukner has been with Hughes through the night and is expected to provide more updates throughout the day. Earlier, national team skipper Michael Clarke arrived at the hospital to see his former team-mate and friend. Phillip Hughes is struck on the head by a bouncer from Sean Abbott during the Sheffield Shield match. Australian and NSW wicketkeeper Brad Haddin - who was on the field yesterday to witness Hughes" injury - arrived at the hospital about 8.30am before leaving 40 minutes later visibly upset. Hughes" distraught sister and mother had been watching from the stands. They rushed to the hospital, and last night Hughes's father, Greg, was driving from Macksville on the NSW north coast to be by his bedside. NSW players call for help as Phillip Hughes falls to the ground after being struck in the head. Cricket stars, including national coach Darren Lehmann and players from all around the world sent their best wishes to Hughes, offering their prayers for a speedy recovery. Lehmann tweeted: "Our thoughts and prayers are with Phil and his family. He is a great fighter and a great young man. Phillip Hughes falls to the ground after being struck in the head. Outside the hospital last night, a clearly distressed Australian cricket team physician Peter Brukner said Hughes was receiving the best possible treatment. "Phillip Hughes sustained a severe head injury while batting for South Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground," he said. He was treated on the ground by Cricket NSW medical staff and transferred to St Vincent's Hospital. Former test cricketer Brendon Julian says the injury suffered by Phil Hughes was a freak accident that could have happened to any first class cricketer Former Australian paceman Trent Copeland was watching at the ground. Immediately you could tell there was something wrong. The players around him were freaking out,"" he said. It was not nice. Very ugly. Cricket Australia chief executive, James Sutherland, said the incident "sends shudders through you." Phillip Hughes falls to the ground after being struck. Hughes, who has played 26 Tests for Australia, was batting for a berth in the Test squad to play India in Brisbane next week with Clarke likely to be ruled out with a hamstring injury. "Clearly the priority is Phil's health and we want to keep his family fully informed," a Cricket NSW spokesman said. The nation is praying for test hopeful Phillip Hughes / Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Hughes, from Macksville on the NSW north coast, burst onto the international scene in 2009, making his debut as a 20-year-old against South Africa. He then became the youngest player to score centuries in both innings of a Test when he cracked 115 and 160 in the second Test against South Africa at Kingsmead. He later joined the South Australian team to revitalise his Test career. He had scored 170 runs at 42.50 in three Sheffield Shield matches this season. A helicopter lands on the SCG to assist Phillip Hughes. Speaking to reporters in Adelaide earlier this month, Hughes said he had spent hours improving his game and was ready for an international recall. "I was working my backside off in the nets and just trying to improve in the turning conditions," he said. The opportunity didn't come up but I was happy just to be on that tour. I love touring with the boys. I love being that spare batsmen in case there's an injury or someone goes down. You have just got to make sure you're ready. And that is all my focus has been over the last 12 months, making sure I'm ready if an opportunity comes up. I know I'm there or thereabouts. CRICKET has seen some great days at the SCG, but Tuesday was the worst of them. Time stood still as players, officials and a sprinkling of fans waited as Test hopeful Phillip Hughes lay stricken on a stretcher having minutes earlier been struck on the side of the head by a bouncer. One can only imagine what was going through the minds of Hughes" mother and sister who were among the audience. But the quietened whispers from the scene gave the sickening impression that a worst-case-scenario had occurred. The ambulance choppers arrives at the SCG yesterday. The day was meant to be about the likable battler Hughes - 63 not out for South Australia against former side NSW - booking a return to the Test team this summer. It was never meant to end like this. With Hughes on the boundary rope, all that could be seen from the Members Pavillion was a grey sheet, held up to block spectators from the traumatic sight. Hughes was behind that sheet receiving CPR from NSW doctor John Orchard. NSW fast bowler Trent Copeland says everyone on the pitch and in the SCG stands were left in shock with Phil Hughes showing immediate signs of serious injury The 25-year-old stopped breathing and appeared to lose consciousness. For how long it's not known. The complete and utter silence that fell on the venue from the moment Hughes had staggered and collapsed face first out in the middle, remained. In the distance, the only noise to break the stillness that came over the SCG, was the eerie cry of ambulance sirens. They took the best part of half an hour to arrive. One, then two, then three entered the SCG playing surface. Followed by the landing of an emergency helicopter. Michael Clarke arrives at St Vincent's hospital , Sydney after Phil Hughes was hit by a cricket ball. pic mark evans Source: News Corp Australia Earlier, NSW veteran Peter Nevill rushed from the pavilion to Driver Avenue outside the Members gate, desperately searching for the emergency vehicles that hadn't yet arrived. Blues chief executive Andrew Jones was sprinting from his office on the other side of the Moore Park precinct as other NSW officials scrambled for help from wherever they could find it. This wasn't an everyday cricket injury. This is never supposed to happen. Amid the chaos there was also numbness. Nathan Lyon, the NSW and Australian spinner, stood motionless at the entrance to the players" race, his face white with angst. Other players sat outside the sheds, hands on heads, just watching into the distance. Such concern would have been shown for anyone in this awful predicament. But Hughes is a favourite son of both states. Steve O'Keefe and Sean Abbott walk out of the change rooms yesterday. Picture: Ryan Pierse Source: Getty Images The youngest player ever to score a Shield hundred in a final when he was at NSW, and at South Australia the incredible record of first-class runs has only continued to gather momentum. Vision appeared to show a tube being inserted to help Hughes breath. Then there was an oxygen mask on Hughes face as he was finally placed in an ambulance, Orchard by his side. Earlier, the scenes out in the middle weren't as surreal as they were horrific. Hughes was stroking his way patiently towards a hundred which was meant to lock in his recall to the Australian Test side, when fate intervened. The left-hander was in line to replace Michael Clarke who was ruled out of the first Test - but less than an hour later, the Australian skipper, a close friend of Hughes, was rushing to St Vincent's. Phillip Hughes" injury has sent shockwaves through the cricketing community. The moment Hughes was struck, wobbled and then fell flat was the first of many sickening images that will likely stay with players that witnessed it forever. Abbott, a former teammate of Hughes at NSW, was immediately at the South Australian opener's side, cradling his head as blood started to trickle down. David Warner and Brad Haddin waved urgently for medical attention. But it wasn't as simple as a medico coming out. Players were signalling for an ambulance to be called. Warner sat on the medicab and remained by Hughes" side until the end. The sequence of events leading up to and after Phillip Hughes" injury. Tom Cooper - who was batting with Hughes at the time - gently took his partner's pads off as ambulance staff did their thing. Sickening photographs confirmed the ball struck underneath Hughes" helmet, on the side of his head. It took 40 minutes from the moment Hughes was struck to the moment the doors of the ambulance closed and he was whisked away. It felt like an eternity, and it might as well have been. For family, friends and teammates, time remains at a standstill. Players from both sides - too distraught to speak - gathered at the Members Pavillion after play was abandoned. Counselling was offered to all concerned. Warner brought his young daughter out to the playing surface where Lyon was resting and the pair just sat. Cricket Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland says Phil Hughes injury was serious and he remains in critical condition following emergency surgery In Victoria, Shaun Marsh - Hughes" challenger for the Test berth - made a hundred. But it was as hollow as a century could ever be. It has left everyone flat. You can't put words to it," Marsh said. It's just so sad. You wish him all the best. You just hope he pulls through and my thoughts are with him and his family. It's tragic really. You can't believe it. The whole cricket family is really thinking about Phil Hughes. Two Shield games ago, NSW batsman Ben Rohrer was struck by a ball that kept low and hit him on the side of his head. He staggered and fell to the ground, much like Hughes. But Rohrer got back to his feet a few minutes later and was sent for precautionary scans. So often that's the procedure. Batsman gets hurt, things look bad, everything turns out OK. But yesterday, everything went wrong. Originally published as Hughes "still critical" after sickenig hit