'Not been easy to concentrate' - Mathews

There will be tragic symmetry when Sri Lanka take the field for the second ODI in Colombo, as many on social media have noted. When a 20-year-old Phillip Hughes struck his maiden Test hundred in Durban, he had worn a black armband following the Lahore terror attack on the Sri Lanka team. On Saturday, in Colombo, Sri Lanka will wear black armbands for Hughes.

Sri Lanka and England had spoken of abandoning the second match, but had eventually decided to play it, in tribute. Though, it has been tough to focus on the cricket, Angelo Mathews said.

"It hasn't really been easy to concentrate," Mathews said. "That was the first thing I heard when I woke up last morning, and I had a very tough day going through it. Everyone had a tough day. Even though he's an Australian, he's our mate. When you lose a friend of yours, it is very difficult to go through. I hope and pray that we never ever hear of such an incident again in cricket, or any other sport."

Hughes had enjoyed playing Sri Lanka, going by his scores. In Tests, he had hit 435 runs at an average of 43.50 against Sri Lanka, who were also on the receiving end of both his ODI hundreds. Hughes had also made a second-innings 126 at the SSC, when Sri Lanka were pushing for a series-leveling win, in 2011. But although Hughes kept Sri Lanka in the field for longer than they would have liked, the team remembered Hughes as a "cheerful and friendly person", Mathews said.

"Phil Hughes was a very humble guy, and a fighter when it comes to cricket," he said. "His loss will be a big one for the game. He played his first ODI against us. If I remember right, he hit a hundred in that match. He was a very good player, and a thorough gentleman. Our whole team conveys our condolences and sadness to his family, loved ones, teammates, Australian fans, and fans around the world."

Although Hughes' death has brought the danger inherent in cricket into sharp focus, Mathews said his team would seek to play as they have always done. Hughes had been hit by a bouncer in a part of the neck not protected by helmets, and sustained an injury that has only been seen around 100 times in recorded medical history.

"We never expect something like this to happen when you bowl a bouncer. Even when the bowlers are aggressive, you don't expect the batsman to get hurt. It's just the game of cricket, and it was an unfortunate incident. There won't be any thoughts regarding those bouncers. It was an unfortunate incident. All we can do is hope that player safety can improve."

Though Sri Lanka did not lose a teammate in the 2009 attack, even in 2014, players have spoken of ongoing psychological repercussions stemming from that ordeal. Mathews said there was little Hughes' team-mates could do, but gradually work through their emotions. "It's not easy to get over things like this. You've got to move on, but it will take a lot of time to recover."