Former Australia cricketer Shane Warne believes that the world has lost "one of the good guys" following the death of batsman Phil Hughes at the age of just 25.

The Test cricketer failed to recover after being struck in the head by a ball bowled by Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney on Tuesday.

Hughes, who never regained consciousness after being placed into an induced coma, suffered 'rare' vertebral artery dissection.

"It's obviously just shocking news," Warne told Sky Sports News. "It's horrific and a sad situation that a great young man like Phillip who had the world at his feet is no longer with us.

"I think the cricket family has been touched by the story. It's just a tragedy for sport. We all love sport for the entertainment it gives us, no matter what the sport, and to see this tragedy on the field it's just something that should never happen.

"I worked closely with the Australian team in March and saw how hard he worked. He was very, very humble, loved the game and was very passionate about the game. He was trying to become the best player he possibly could and to be taken away from everybody and his family at 25 years of age, it's just a shock to everybody. He was a really good man, one of the good guys."

Hughes played 26 Tests and 25 one-day internationals for Australia.