Phillip Hughes died on November 27, 2014. (AAP)  An inquest has heard the death of cricketer Phillip Hughes was inevitable from the moment he was struck and a delay in the arrival of an ambulance had no bearing on the outcome.  Hughes was struck in the neck while batting for his adopted state of South Australia against NSW in a Sheffield Shield game at the SCG on November 25, 2014.  He suffered a traumatic basal subarachnoid haemorrhage from the blow and never regained consciousness.  The 25-year-old's death in St Vincent's Hospital two days later prompted an unprecedented outpouring of grief from the Australian and international cricket community.  The inquest, presided over by NSW State Coroner Michael Barnes, will examine the manner and cause of the cricketer's death, and may offer recommendations for future safety regulations.  The inquest was today played confronting video of the delivery which struck Hughes, with his father Greg and sister Megan walking from the court as the clip was being prepared.  The match was being live streamed on the Cricket Australia (CA) website when Hughes was truck, and the video showed the batsman struck on the left side of his neck as he attempted to hook a bouncer.  Initially uneasy on his feet, Hughes collapsed face-first and made no attempt to break his fall.  His NSW opponents rushed to his aid and immediately waved to the sidelines for help.  In her opening address, Kristina Stern SC relayed evidence from neurosurgeon Dr Brian Owler, who took into account the speed of the ball, the batman's head position and the nature of the impact.  She said it was Dr Owler's view the injury sustained by Hughes cut blood supply to his brain stem after he suffered a vetebral artery dissection.  "It is Dr Owler's opinion that no intervention, no matter how early, could have prevented Phillip Hughes' death," Ms Stern said.  The inquest heard NSW team doctor John Orchard was able to reach Hughes around 40 seconds after he was hit.  Dr Orchard was assisted by the South Australian team physio John Porter, and emergency specialist Dr Tim Stanley, who was in the crowd as a spectator that day.  An ambulance took more than 20 minutes to arrive at the ground, but given the severity of the injury Dr Owler suggested Hughes' death could not have been prevented at that point.  Earlier, Coroner Barnes said cricket carried an inherent risk, and the player's death was "completely unexpected and shocking." He expressed his sympathies to the Hughes family.  In addition to his father and sister, Hughes mother Virginia and brother Jason were in court for the hearing. "It is important to remember before anything else, Phillip was a son and a brother," Coroner Barnes said.  CA CEO James Sutherland, CA's high performance manager Pat Howard, and representatives from Cricket NSW and Cricket SA were in attendance.  James Henderson, who was Hughes' manager, addressed the media outsider the Sydney Downing Centre this morning on behalf of the late cricketer's family.  "This is going to be a very, very, very difficult week for Greg, Virginia, Jason and Megan," Mr Henderson said.  "They haven't been looking forward to this week as you would imagine.  "They're hoping that perhaps there will be a positive to come out of Phillip's death as we go through these five days inside the Coroner's Court."  Dr Orchard and cricketers Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger, David Warner and Tom Cooper will all give evidence to the hearing this week.  Cooper, a close friend of Hughes, was batting with him for South Australia at the time of the fatal injury.  The inquest will hear submissions until Friday, with a decision on whether recommendations will be delivered yet to be made.  © Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016
A coronial inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes begins today, with prominent Australian cricketers expected to be called to give evidence nearly two years after the game was rocked by the batsman's death.&nbsp;