Chief executive James Sutherland has announced Cricket Australia will "immediately" conduct an investigation into player safety in the wake of Phillip Hughes' death on Thursday.

– Phil Hughes dies of head injuries after being hit by bouncer
– VIDEO: Australia PM pays tribute to Hughes

The cricketing world has been in mourning for the last 24 hours following confirmation that Hughes died from injuries suffered during a Sheffield Shield game on Tuesday, when the South Australia batsman was struck on the head by a bouncer bowled by New South Wales paceman Sean Abbott.

After being too early on a pull stroke, the 25-year-old was hit by a ball on the back, lower left side of his head, just below his protective helmet. He never regained conciousness.

The incident has served as a reminder to the dangers facing batsmen against fast bowlers, despite the protective equipment available, while addressing safety issues on the field is now of paramount importance for Sutherland and Cricket Australia.

"Statistics say it's clearly a freak incident, but one freak incident is one freak incident too many," he said at a media conference in Sydney.

"That, of course, puts us in a position of looking into that and we will immediately, in consultation with the manufacturers and the other safety providers or regulators, look into it to make sure that these things are addressed and improved.

"It's a matter of interest, not just for us here in Australia but for cricketers all over the world."

On whether it is time to also address the use of the bouncer, Sutherland would not be drawn, but he did say careful consideration needs to be given.

"All of those things around safety need to be looked at and will be considered but one of the things about the game of cricket is that it's a finely tuned balance between bat and ball," he added. "That's what the game is built on and those things will need to be carefully considered."