Phillip Hughes remembered one year on

A year has passed since Australia batsman Phillip Hughes tragically died as a result of the injuries he suffered after being struck in the neck during a Sheffield Shield match.

Hughes was batting for South Australia against New South Wales, his former team, when he was hit by a short ball from Sean Abbott.

The seriousness of the incident, causing an incredibly rare vertebral artery dissection that led to a massive bleed on the brain, was swiftly apparent and Hughes passed away two days later on November 27, 2014 - three days short of what would have been his 26th birthday.

Tributes poured in from around the world as cricket came to terms with the painful loss of a hugely popular player, who was seemingly on the brink of a Test recall having already achieved much at a young age.

Hughes began his first-class career at NSW, becoming the Blues' youngest debutant since Michael Clarke when he stepped out to face Tasmania on November 20, 2007.

A solid half-century was a nice introduction for a player who would soon be making waves.

The left-hander, at 19 years of age, duly became the youngest player to score a century in a Sheffield Shield final, making 116 at the top of the order in the second innings as NSW defeated Victoria by 258 runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground to earn the 45th of their 46 titles.

His domestic form earned a Test debut against South Africa in February 2009, where Hughes displayed no little grit besides his burgeoning talent to make 75 in the second innings after falling for a duck just four balls into his bow.

Australia won the match by 162 runs in Johannesburg, though it was the second Test in Durban that saw Hughes leave a lasting impression.

At 20 years and 98 days, Hughes became the youngest batsman to score two centuries in the same Test, surpassing the previous record set by George Headley for West Indies against England in 1930.

After striking 115 in the first innings, Hughes made a superb 160 in the second to set up another Australia victory.

From that point on, Hughes was in and out of the Test side, eventually going on to make 1,535 runs in 26 appearances in the longest form of the game.

That included a third Test century against Sri Lanka in September 2011 - Hughes making 126 in the second innings as the sides played out a draw in Colombo.

A destructive player with a particularly strong off-side game highlighted by a preference for the cut shot, Hughes made his one-day international debut against Sri Lanka in Melbourne in January 2013, and once again it proved to be a historic day.

Hughes crafted 112 runs from 129 deliveries to inspire his team to victory, and in doing so he became the first Australian to score a century on his ODI debut.

An unbeaten 138 followed in the fifth game of that series 12 days later, further evidence of the top-class potential at Hughes' fingertips.

Tragically, his passing meant cricket fans were denied the chance to see more of that potential fulfilled, but it is worth remembering that Phillip Joel Hughes - even in a short career - was a man who broke new ground.