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.

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.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Community mourns death of teen cricketer Ben Austin.

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 by grieving friends had turned into a memorial for the teen.

A friend told AAP he understood Ben was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and the bowler was usin

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