England captain Alastair Cook believes that the best way for his team to honour Phil Hughes's memory is to continue playing in their one-day series against Sri Lanka.

The Australia batsman passed away yesterday at the age of 25, two days after getting struck in the neck by a bouncer bowled by Sean Abbott in a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney.

There were questions over whether England and Sri Lanka would play their second ODI in Colombo due to the tragedy, but the match will go ahead with Cook's side trailing 1-0.

"It was a tragic day for cricket yesterday - incredibly sad," Cook told reporters. "All our thoughts are with Hughesy's family and obviously those Australian players who knew him so well.

"I know discussions went on about whether we should be playing and I think both sides agreed that out of respect we should carry on - try to pay our respects in the right way for Phil, and try to put on a good show."

The players will wear black armbands and hold a a two-minute silence before tomorrow's match.