ENGLAND captain Alastair Cook insisted the shocking death of Phillip Hughes would not change his approach to batting as his side prepared to play Saturday's one-day international against Sri Lanka in memory of the Australian.

The Essex star admitted the intensity of the match would be affected by the tragedy and revealed talks took place between the two sides over whether the match should go ahead at all.

Hughes died on Thursday at the age of 25, two days after being struck on the neck by a bouncer while batting for South Australia against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Speaking at a press conference, a sombre-looking Cook said: "It was been a really sad day yesterday, a tragic day for cricket. 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.

"I think naturally it (the intensity of the sport) will probably (be affected) tomorrow. 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 said his tactics for the match would be unaffected, saying: "I think if you are going to play a game you've got to do it properly."

He added that it would be down to individuals whether they wanted to play.

And he revealed such a tragic example of the dangers of the sport would not alter the way he played the game.

He said: "I don't think we should change how we play cricket at all, because I don't think that's the right way to go about it.

"We've got to make sure we keep working as hard as we can with manufacturers and the authorities to make cricket as safe as we can. This is a real reminder to everyone that we can't take anything for granted.

"We've got to keep trying to improve player safety, even though I think the improvements even since I've started playing cricket have gone through the roof, especially helmets and in technology. We've just got to keep working as hard as we can.

"I certainly wouldn't change the way I play. It's a natural thing how you play and you cannot have those doubts in the back of your mind when you walk out to bat, because you won't be playing very well.

"I know it's not right talking about it right now, but the game of cricket will move on, but it's a real reminder to everyone how precious life is and how lucky we are to be playing cricket."

Cook said he would remember Hughes as an "outstanding talent" destined to be a "fantastic player for Australia".

He said the fact they were both left-handed openers and from farming backgrounds gave them common ground, saying: "We probably went about things in a very different way, but still picked each others' brains."

Cook added: "We might be playing for different sides, different countries, but we're pretty much the same guys, just trying to do our best for our teams at the sport we love."