‘Hope his spirit never leaves me,’ says Michael Clarke at Phillip Hughes' funeral

Adelaide: Adelaide, the adopted home of Phillip Hughes, the young Australian cricketer whose life was cut short by a freak bouncer last week, bid a tearful adieu to its son on Wednesday in a funeral service attended by Ozzie cricket greats and Indian players Virat Kohli, Murali, Vijay and Rohit Sharma among others.

Greg and Jason Hughes, Michael Clarke, Corey Ireland, Mitchell Lonergan, Matthew Day, Aaron Finch and Tom Cooper were the Pall Bearers as Phillip Hughes bid a final goodbye.

(Photo: Twitter)

"I don't know about you, but I keep looking for him." "He always wanted to bring people together," said Michael Clarke.

(Photo: Screengrab)

"Rest in peace my little brother. I'll see you out in the middle," concluded Clarke unable to hold back his tears.

An emotional Megan Hughes, Phillip's younger sister, said, "They always say you can't choose your family, but I wouldn't have mine any other way." "Until next time, I love you big brother," she concluded.

'Even when you were my little brother, you taught me so much,' said Phillip Hughes elder brother Jason.

Expressing his sadness on Phillip Hughes sad demise, Australian spin legend Shane Warne said, "'When you play sport you just don't think these kind of things happen."

Queensland police too paid tributes to Phillip Hughes.

Entire Australia was in mourning and would continue to remember Phil Hughes. He was a country kid of hardworking Greg and Virginia, who made it big. Phillip cherished on the fast food stuff for pasta and pizza.

'Greg and Virginia, our hearts are aching for you,' said father Michael.

Sean Abbott arrived for the funeral ceremony.

Every shop in Macksville has closed down to pay their respect to much loved cricketing son.

People gathered in numbers at SCG and WACA, where the funeral will be telecast live.

Fondly called Hughesy, he was snatched away from cricket fans, after a horrific head injury ended his life on Thursday. The cricket world and those outside of it are yet to come to terms with Phillip Hughes' shocking exit.

On Monday, Hughes’ best mate and Australian skipper landed in Macksville to help Hughes’ family in the preparation for funeral.

Clarke alongside Aaron Finch would act as  pallbearers at the funeral, which is to be attended by past and present cricketers from throughout the world, by politicians and other dignitaries, and which will be televised live throughout Australia.

Michael Clarke has shown tremendous support to Hughes’ family in the emotionally taxing time since Phil Hughes’ suffered a life-ending injury. He, like a rock, was by Phil Hughes’ bedside as he was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital following a nasty blow during the Sheffield Shield game.

Otherwise a tough nut, Clarke could not hold back tears while reading out from Hughes’ family statement on Thursday after Phil Hughes passed away at the hospital in Sydney.

Reading out Cricket Australia's tribute to Phil Hughes a few days later, Clarke choked several times as well.

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On what could have been Hughes' 26th birthday, Clarke penned an emotionally stirring piece and posted a number of photos remembering his little 'brother'.

Check: Let's raise a toast for Phill Hughes