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

The death of Australian batsman Hughes hit Yorkshire’s pre-season training session hard even though the vast majority of the players and coaching staff did not know him.

Pyrah took two wickets in a Yorkshire win over Worcester 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 Worcester behind the eight ball. Hughes, however, smashed a blistering 80 not out off 53 balls to give his side a chance, although his nine fours and a six was not enough to prevent Yorkshire reaching Finals Day for the first time.

“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.

“His attitude towards batting (was) he was always looking to score and take it to the bowlers.

“It was a massive game for both teams - a quarter-final. That’s the only time I’ve played against him.

“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’.

“He made a lot of friends in cricket. He will go down as not only a good player, but also a legend off the field as well.

“A lot of us don’t know him personally, but it is a cricket family, and it’s a tragic loss.

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

It is now hoped Sean Abbott, the bowler who delivered the bouncer which proved fatal for Hughes, can recover from the trauma.

“You try to 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. It’s going to be tough. That first time he bowls a bouncer, it will be in the back of his mind.

“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.

“We all got a text from the PCA saying if anyone needs to chat or needs help, get in touch with the helpline. The PCA are outstanding at what they do.”