Phillip Hughes’s family have described the popular cricketer as “the light of our lives” in a touching tribute on the 10th anniversary of his death.

The family of Hughes, who died two days after being struck by a ball while batting in a Sheffield Shield game, hope his exploits and character will be an inspiration for younger cricketers.

“Phillip was a loving, humorous and an infectious person to be around,” the family said in a statement issued by Cricket Australia on Wednesday.

“He always aimed to make those around him smile and enjoy the little things in life, where his beautiful smile would come to life.

“He shined bright even in the tough times, which is a testament to who he was as a person, and we loved everything about him.

“He was the light of our lives. Phillip had a profound love for his family and lived his life with respect to everyone around him.”

The family hoped the story of Hughes’s journey in a documentary, The Boy From Macksville – to be released on December 6 – would further honour his life.

“We’d like to thank [everyone] for supporting this endeavour and each person who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for creating a celebration of Phillip’s life,” said the family, including his father Greg, mother Virginia, sister Megan and brother Jason.

“We hope we have been able to showcase that dreams really do come true and you will enjoy seeing his family, friends and teammates give more of an insight into his career from his baggy blue, baggy red, baggy green and many more moments in between, including unseen footage that can be watched for generations to come.”

The documentary follows an official biography released in November 2015.

“We hope between the biography and documentary, young cricketers around the world and everyone that was with Phillip along the way will see the hard working, dedicated, devoted and rare cricketer he was,” the family said.

“His extraordinary talent is known by many, but his lasting impression of who he was as a person will always be remembered, which makes us extremely proud of him.

“Phillip was always proud of the younger cricketing generation he met along the way and was always hoping he could be an inspiration, no matter where you were from, and that is also our hope.”

Hughes, who was 25 when he died, played 26 Test matches for Australia between 2009 and 2014 and represented NSW and South Australia in first-class ranks.

Players and fans mourn

At the SCG on Wednesday morning, a crowd of about 100 people observed a minute’s silence before play began on day four of a Shield game between NSW and Tasmania.

Blues teammates consoled paceman Sean Abbott, who began weeping during the minute’s silence.

Through his manager, Abbott was consulted in advance about whether he would be comfortable with a match being scheduled on the 10-year anniversary of one of sport’s most tragic accidents.

The 32-year-old has gone on to forge a successful international career, playing 46 white-ball matches for Australia. He has never spoken publicly about bowling the ball that struck Hughes.

Abbott approved the fixture, as did NSW captain Moises Henriques and coach Greg Shipperd, and was always intent on playing.

Players passed the plaque commemorating Hughes as they left the Members Pavilion and took the field for the minute’s silence.

Australian international cricketers Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry were among those in attendance.

Flags flew at half-mast and players on both sides wore black armbands at the SCG.

-AAP