Clutching flowers instead of bats and bags, dozens of heartbroken young cricketers arrived at a suburban ground to pay tribute to their teammate who never came home.

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The tragic scene unfolded after Ben Austin, 17, was struck by a ball while practising in the nets on Tuesday afternoon in Ferntree Gully in Melbourne's east.

His teammates rushed to help before paramedics transported him to hospital in a critical condition, where he died on Thursday morning.

Within hours, dozens of flower bouquets, sweet treats and a handful of cricket bats left b

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