The world is mourning the death of Phillip Hughes, a rising cricket star who died playing one of most loved international sports.

While cricket is a relatively safe sport when compared with motor and contact sports, any elite sport carries significant risks.

A standard cricket ball weighs 160 grams and can fly through the air at more than 130km/h.

Hughes, 25, died after he was struck on the neck by a short-pitched delivery during a state match.

He received medical treatment on the boundary before being taken to hospital, where he died two days later.

Here are 10 cricketers, and umpires, who died after sustaining injuries on the field.

Some, like Raman Lamba and George Summers, died after sustaining similar injuries to those of Hughes. All shared a deep passion for cricket.

Darryn Randall, 32 (South Africa, 2013)

Randall, a wicketkeeper-batsman, was struck on the side of the head while attempting a pull shot during a domestic match in South Africa.

He collapsed at the crease and was taken to hospital but could not be revived.

The British-born cricketer made his first-class debut in 2009.

Randall coached his a local primary school team.

He was survived by a fiancée.

Zulfiqar Bhatti, 22, (Pakistan, 2013)

Bhatti was only 22 when a fast delivery hit his chest while he was batting in a club game in his native Pakistan.

He was put on a ventilator, taken to hospital but pronounced dead almost immediately afterwards.

"Seconds before collapsing, he signalled that he was fine," a spokesman for the local cricket league said.

"Doctors made every attempt to revive him but it seems like he had breathed his last on the pitch."

All sport throughout the district was suspended for three days after his death.

Bhatti was the youngest of five brothers.

Richard Beaumont, 33 (England, 2012)

The fast bowler had taken five wickets during a club match in Stourbridge, in the English West Midlands, before suffering a heart attack and collapsing on the pitch.

He was flown to hospital but pronounced dead within hours.

A spokesman for the Worcestershire League said his team would establish a small garden in his memory at his Pedmore Cricket Club.

He was survived by his wife, Becky.

Alcwyn Jenkins, 72 (England 2009)

The umpire dropped to the pitch and was flown to hospital after being struck on the head by a throw from a fielder while officiating a league match in Swansea.

The fielder involved has not been named and the accident has been described as "one of the most freak accidents you could ever imagine on the cricket field".

Jenkins, a widower, was survived by his children and grandchildren.

Wasim Raja, 54 (Pakistan, 2006)

A life-long cricketer, former Test all-rounder and International Cricket Council match referee Wasim Raja suffered a heart attack during an over-50s game in Buckinghamshire, England.

Raja had played more than 50 Test matches and 54 one-day matches for Pakistan.

His brother Rameez also played Test cricket for Pakistan.

Former captain Wasim Akram described his death as "heart-breaking news".

"As a teenager, I used to go and watch all the games in which Wasim Raja used to play. He was a crowd favourite not only because of his hard-hitting abilities but because he was a charismatic character. He was an idol of most of the youngsters in the '70s and '80s."

Raman Lamba, 38 (India, 1998)

The former Indian Test cricketer suffered a similar brain injury to Phillip Hughes after being hit on the head while fielding a short-pitched ball during a club match against a Bangladeshi team in Dhaka.

Lamba, like Hughes, was making his comeback to Test cricket. He had declined to wear a helmet during the game.

He was survived by his wife Kim, and their two children Jasmyn and Kamran.

Decades on, Kim has told media there is no way to truly recover from Lamba's death, as the "scars are too deep and the vacuum is too vast".

Ian Folley, 30 (England, 1993)

The left-arm spin bowler was hit under the eye trying to play a hook shot in a domestic match.

He later suffered a heart attack while under anaesthetic in hospital.

His father, Jim Folley, spent years fighting the hospital to accept negligence. More than five years later, Cumberland Infirmary accepted liability and apologised on television.

Wilfred Slack, 34 (England 1989)

The Middlesex and England left-handed opener suddenly collapsed and died while batting in a match in Banjul, The Gambia.

Slack's cause of death was not determined but he had suffered four blackouts on the field in previous games.

He had played both one-day and test cricket matches for England.

Abdul Aziz, 18 (Pakistan, 1959)

Aziz was a promising young player who played as both opening batmans and wicketkeeper when he died in a domestic match in Karachi in 1959.

He was struck over the heart by a slow off break and was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital

His two brothers, Abdul and Abdur, also played first-class cricket for Pakistan.

Andy Ducat, 56 (England, 1942)

The English batsman collapsed and died of a heart attack during a game at Lord's.

He had played one Test match before being repeatedly sidelined due to injuries.

The talented sportsman also played football with Woolwich Arsenal and Aston Villa, and represented England for years.

He coached the Eton cricket team for five years and is the only player to die at Lord's.

He was survived by his wife, Vera.

George Summers, 25 (England, 1870)

Summers' death was also eerily similar to Hughes'.

He was hit on the head by a ball while batting for Nottinghamshire against the MCC at Lord's.

He suffered a brain injury and died after a few days.

- with Reuters