Sean Abbott's courageous act after heartbreaking scenes during tribute to Phillip Hughes

Sean Abbott has been praised for his bravery after starring for NSW at the SCG on the 10th anniversary of Phillip Hughes' death. Abbott was left in tears before play got underway against Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield on Wednesday, as a tribute was held for former Test cricket star Hughes, who tragically died at 25 after being struck on the back of the head off the bowling of the NSW quick in 2014.

NSW teammates could be seen consoling Abbott, who began weeping during the minute's silence for Hughes, whose family described him as "the light of our lives" in a touching tribute before play began. "He shined bright even in the tough times, which is a testament to who he was as a person, and we loved everything about him," the family said in a statement issued by Cricket Australia on Wednesday. "He was the light of our lives. Phillip had a profound love for his family and lived his life with respect to everyone around him."

Aussie women's cricket superstars Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry were among the roughly 100 people who gathered to honour Hughes at the SCG. Flags flew at half-mast at the iconic ground and players on both sides wore black armbands, as they have done around the country in this week's Shield games.

Players passed the plaque commemorating Hughes as they left the Members Pavilion at the SCG and took the field for an emotionally-charged day four of the Sheffield Shield match between NSW and Tasmania. For Abbott, it was an even more painful reminder of the tragedy that occurred at the same ground a decade ago and the mental scars he still carries from the devastating accident.

Sean Abbott claims three wickets on emotional day at the SCG

And the fast bowler's courage to feature in the match was praised by cricket fans on social media, with Abbott going on to claim three wickets on day four to finish with six for the match. Tasmania started day four at 4-226 in their second innings and with a lead of 252 runs, with Tim Ward sent packing just short of his century after being dismissed by NSW all-rounder Jack Edwards on 96.

The wicket laid the platform for Abbott to take centre stage, with the NSW quick soon finding himself on a hat-trick after removing Mitchell Owen and Brad Hope in successive balls. Abbott missed the opportunity to claim his third scalp in a row as Kieran Elliott safely saw off the hat-trick ball, before Abbott struck again moments later to remove Beau Webster for 49.

Tasmania eventually declared at 8-268 and with a lead of 294 runs, with Abbott finishing with NSW's best figures of 4-71. It was an incredible effort from the NSW paceman after what would have been an extremely difficult day for the 32-year-old. The 10-year anniversary of Hughes' death comes less than two weeks before the release of a documentary honouring his life.

New Phillip Hughes documentary to be released on December 6

The Boy From Macksville is a documentary on Hughes' journey that will be released on December 6 and follows an official biography of the late cricketer from 2015. "We'd like to thank (everyone) for supporting this endeavour and each person who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for creating a celebration of Phillip's life," said the Hughes family, including his father Greg, mother Virginia, sister Megan and brother Jason.

"We hope we have been able to showcase that dreams really do come true and you will enjoy seeing his family, friends and teammates give more of an insight into his career from his baggy blue, baggy red, baggy green and many more moments in between, including unseen footage that can be watched for generations to come.. We hope between the biography and documentary, young cricketers around the world and everyone that was with Phillip along the way will see the hard working, dedicated, devoted and rare cricketer he was.

"His extraordinary talent is known by many, but his lasting impression of who he was as a person will always be remembered, which makes us extremely proud of him. Phillip was always proud of the younger cricketing generation he met along the way and was always hoping he could be an inspiration, no matter where you were from, and that is also our hope."

with agencies