RICH Pyrah has recalled how tough he found bowling at Phil Hughes during a Twenty20 quarter-final tie against Worcestershire at Headingley in 2012.

Pyrah took two wickets in a Yorkshire win that will be best remembered for some stunning work on the long-on boundary by Joe Root and David Miller that resulted in the dismissal of James Cameron.

Yorkshire posted a mammoth 212-5, which left their rivals behind the eight ball.

Hughes, whose death on Thursday stunned the cricket world and cast a shadow over Yorkshire’s pre-season training, smashed 80 not out off 53 balls to give his side a chance, although it was not enough to secure victory.

“He was a special talent. I remember bowling to him in that game, and what I remember is that he had so much time. Whatever you bowled at him, he just adjusted,” said Pyrah.

“Not only that, his attitude towards batting, he was always looking to score and take it to the bowlers. He was very tough to bowl at, a massive talent.

“You speak to people around the counties and a regular question is ‘How’s your overseas?’. People would always reply about Phil Hughes ‘He’s a legend. He’s great on and off the field’.

“We had training, and to be honest all the squad were very down. It has hit the lads hard. A lot of us don’t know him personally, but it is a cricket family.

“To see somebody get killed like that playing sport is gutting.”

It is now hoped that Sean Abbott, the bowler who delivered the bouncer which felled Hughes, can recover from the trauma and enjoy a successful career.

“You try and put yourself in Sean Abbott’s shoes, and it’s an awful feeling,” said Pyrah. “It will take a strong man to come back from that and play cricket again.

“The one thing we need to remember is that it’s a freak accident. He’s not to blame at all.

“We’ve got the Professional Cricketers’ Association over here, and the Australians have their equivalent.

“I’m sure they will do everything they can to help him out and get him in the right state of mind.

“We all got a text from the PCA saying that if anyone needs to chat or needs help, get in touch with the helpline. They are on top of it, the PCA.”