Michael Clarke has endured a lot in his stellar career, but his bleary eyes suggested nothing has ever rocked him like it did on Thursday afternoon.
The Australian captain arrived to a press conference just over an hour after his Australian, New South Wales and Western Suburbs teammate had passed away in unthinkable circumstances.
By the side of his wife Kyly, who looked equally as deflated, Clarke's flannelette shirt and tracksuit pants painted a harrowing picture of a man devastated to his absolute core.
Without any more tears to give, Clarke valiantly read out a statement from Hughes' family. Understandably, he is yet to find his own words, much like the entire cricketing world on the darkest day in the sport's history.
The press conference ran nine minutes late because of an apparent problem with a speaker. It's more plausible Clarke was having difficulty speaking at all, fresh with the news no one ever wanted to hear.
Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland followed Clarke at the press conference: he fought back tears when reminiscing about the precocious talents of a teenage Hughes making his mark on the domestic and international scene with a flurry of cut shots and crisp straight drives.
Team doctor Peter Brukner's bottom lip quivered numerous times, having witnessed firsthand the terrible injury Hughes sustained, doing what made him happier than anything else - scoring runs on the cricket pitch.
An exhausted Pat Howard, the Australian high performance manager, slumped in his seat, head in his hands and struggling to comprehend how, and more importantly, why.
There will never be a more sombre mood than that overcast Thursday afternoon.
Accidents happen, and there are certain to be more of them, but such an accident which has taken the life of an exuberant young man has hurt people in a way they didn't think possible.
Journalists' eyes watered, many of whom have known Hughes for years. He was this reporter's first 'big' interview and has been commended by all who knew him for his humble and accommodating nature with the press.
Privacy has been asked for and it must be respected. A funeral and public gathering to pay respects to Hughes have not been formally arranged.
As for Clarke, the man who loved Hughes as much as anyone, he has scaled the heights of world cricket.
He has conquered England, South Africa, almost every bowler in world cricket, but in times like these, cricket fades into a black hole of oblivion and worthlessness.
