A promising 17-year-old Australian cricketer died on Thursday after being struck by a ball, with his family saying they were “utterly devastated”.

Ben Austin was in the nets with a helmet on before a Twenty20 game in Melbourne on Tuesday when he was hit in the neck while facing a ball-throwing device.

He was rushed to hospital in critical condition.

“We are utterly devastated by the passing of our beautiful Ben, who died earlier on Thursday morning,” his father Jace Austin said in a statement.

“This tragedy has taken Ben from us, but we find some comfort that he was doing something he did for so many summers — going down to the nets with mates to play cricket.

“We would also like to support his teammate who was bowling in the nets. This accident has impacted two young men and our thoughts are with he and his family as well.”

Austin was an emerging bowler and batter, considered by his Ferntree Gully Cricket Club as a “star cricketer, great leader and an awesome young man”.

Deaths in cricket are rare.

The most recent high-profile one in Australia came in 2014 when Test star Phillip Hughes was killed when hit in the neck by a rising ball during a domestic Sheffield Shield game.

His death stunned Australia and the world cricket community, sparking an outpouring of grief and ushering in stronger protocols around concussion and better safety equipment.

Cricket Victoria chief Nick Cummins told broadcaster ABC there were similarities between the two tragedies.

“The ball hit him (Austin) in the neck in a similar accident that Phil Hughes suffered 10 years ago,” Cummins said.

Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird said his heart “was broken” and lessons needed to be learned.

“Clearly there are things we have to learn from this,” Baird told reporters. “But right now we are concerned about the family and trying to support them in every way. “