Cricket Australia officials have announced that an immediate investigation will be launched into player safety following the death of Phil Hughes.

The 25-year-old batsman passed away yesterday morning having failed to overcome a serious head injury which was inflicted when he was struck by a ball while playing for West End Redbacks earlier this week.

Hughes was hit just below his protective helmet by a bouncer bowled by Sean Abbott and failed to regain conciousness following the Sheffield Shield match.

Chief executive of Cricket Australia, James Sutherland, is quoted by Sky Sports News as saying: "Statistics say it's clearly a freak incident but one freak incident is one freak incident too many.

"That, of course, puts us in a position of looking into that and we will immediately, in consultation with the manufacturers and the other safety providers or regulators, look into it to make sure that these things are addressed and improved.

"It's a matter of interest, not just for us here in Australia but for cricketers all over the world."

Sutherland also used a press conference this morning, a little over 24 hours on from the shock death of Hughes, to reveal that Abbott is "holding up well" in the wake of the tragic news.