A teenage boy is reportedly fighting for his life after a tragic accident during cricket training in Melbourne.

The 17-year-old was reportedly struck in the head and neck area by the ball while practising in the cricket nets at Wally Tew Reserve in Ferntree Gully, in Melbourne’s east, about 4.45pm on Wednesday.

The Nine Network reports the boy was batting in the nets when he was hit by a ball bowled from an automatic machine.

Channel Seven said he was wearing a helmet while warming up for a senior T20 game between Ferntree Gully and Eildon Park.

An ambulance team and Advanced Life Support paramedics rushed to the scene and initially treated the boy in the nets. He was taken to Monash Medical Centre in a critical condition.

Multiple media outlets report he was on life support on Wednesday night, with his family — including parents and brothers — at his bedside.

The ABC’s News Breakfast program said on Thursday morning that the teenager had died. However, there is yet to be official confirmation.

The teenager was reportedly a promising young cricket player who has won several awards at Ferntree Gully Cricket Club.

In 2014, Australian cricket prodigy Phillip Hughes died after he was struck on the neck by a ball while batting in the Sheffield Shield.