Teenage cricketer dies in Melbourne after being hit by ball

The 17-year-old was rushed to hospital on Tuesday and placed on life support but died on Thursday.

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Ben Austin, 17, was training - with a helmet but no neck guard - in cricket nets in Ferntree Gully on Tuesday when he was hit in the neck by a ball thrown using a handheld ball launcher.

Emergency workers attended the scene around 17:00 local time (06:00 GMT) before Ben was rushed to hospital in critical condition. He was put on life support but died on Thursday.

Ben's dad Jace Austin said the family was "utterly devastated" by the death of "our beautiful Ben" while Cricket Victoria said the cricketing community across the country would be mourning the teenager's death.

In a statement, Jace Austin shared details of his family's loss.