Former England captain Nasser Hussain has called for improvements to be made to cricket helmets following the death of Australia batsman Phil Hughes.

The 25-year-old suffered rare vertebral artery dissection after his neck was struck by a ball bowled by Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield match on Tuesday in Sydney.

The batsman collapsed on the field before being transferred to St Vincent's Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was placed in an induced coma, but never regained consciousness.

"You have to think about ways of improving the helmet all the time, balancing protection with being able to move and see the ball," Hussain told Sky Sports News.

"Putting bits on the neck is an area we've never thought about. We were always told to protect the temple but were never really concerned about the neck.

"The instinct to get out of the way of a bouncer it to turn away - this will send shock waves through every cricketer."

Hughes played 26 Tests and 25 one-day internationals for Australia.