Alastair Cook believes that it is fitting for England and Sri Lanka to play the second one-day international as scheduled tomorrow as a tribute to Phillip Hughes.
Australia batsman Hughes died, aged 25, yesterday in a Sydney hospital, two days after being hit on the neck by a bouncer while batting for South Australia against New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.
Cook said he would remember Hughes as an "outstanding talent" destined to be a "fantastic player for Australia".
The England captain also explained why he thinks it is right for his side’s one-day series to continue as planned.
"It was a really sad day yesterday, a tragic day for cricket,” Cook said.
"Words I say here aren't going to do anything justice; it's an incredibly sad changing room for us and all our thoughts are with Hughes' family and those Australian players who knew him so well."
England cricket team's bats outside their dressing room in memory of Phillip Hughes #putoutyourbats#RIPPhilHughespic.twitter.com/pJsjeptMki
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) November 28, 2014
He added: "I know discussions went on about whether we should be playing tomorrow and I think both sides agreed out of respect we should carry on playing and show our respects in the right way for Phil and try and put on a good show."
Cook's tourists have joined cricketers from the world over in the #putoutyourbats social media campaign as a mark of respect to Hughes.
Players from all levels have taken up the idea of posting a picture of their own bat to express their individual tribute to Hughes.
The Twitter movement began spontaneously as cricketers reacted to an initial photograph by Paul Taylor - a supporter from Sydney - of his bat, with a cap on the handle and leant against his house wall.
To Cook, it is a demonstration of his sport's enduring unity of spirit at such a grim time.
"It is a term overused, but we are a cricketing family," he said.
#RIPPhilHughes#63notout#PutOutYourBatpic.twitter.com/6j7TmipcYr
— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) November 28, 2014
"Players have definitely got closer over the last few years, playing for different franchises.
"So everyone knows each other a lot better than they used to.
"This just shows how we might be playing for different sides, different countries, but we are pretty much the same guys - trying to do our best for our teams at a sport we love."
Like Hughes, Cook is a left-handed opening batsman from a farming background although with quite a different technique.
"We probably went about things in a very different way, but still picked each others' brains,” he added.
"His love of farming ... with his cattle, gave us common ground. He was one of the guys I would chat to at the end of a game."
A two-minute silence will be held before tomorrow's ODI, and both teams will wear black armbands.