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An Australian teenager has died after being hit by a cricket ball during a training session in Melbourne.
Ben Austin, 17, was practicing cricket nets at Ferntree Gully on Tuesday when he was hit in the head or neck by a ball from an automatic bowling machine. It is believed he was wearing a helmet.
Emergency workers were called to the scene shortly before 17:00 local time (06:00 GMT) and the boy was taken to Monash Children’s Hospital in a critical condition. He was placed on life support but died on Wednesday.
Ferntree Gully Cricket Club said it was “deeply devastated” by the “tragic death” of one of its players and the teenager’s death “will be felt by everyone in our cricket community”.
Ferntree Gully and Local Cricket Association president Arnie Walters said Ben was “talented and popular in local cricket”.
“I know how much this news affects our community and we will provide all possible support to our clubs and the cricket family,” he said.
In a post on social media, Ben’s Cricket Club offered its condolences to his family, friends and “to everyone who knew Ben and the joy he brought”.
“We ask that you respect the privacy of Ben’s family during this time,” the post read.
On behalf of the teenager’s family, the club also thanked Ambulance Victoria, police and hospital staff.
The BBC has contacted Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria for comment.
The incident comes just over a decade after Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died after being hit in the neck by a ball while playing in the Sheffield Shield in 2014.
His death, for which the coroner eventually found no one was responsible, led to improvements in safety equipment for those who practice the sport.
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