England Test skipper Joe Root has endorsed the decision to postpone Sri Lanka tour amid the Coronavirus fears, saying the players’ minds were “elsewhere”.

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A warm-up match against Sri Lanka Board Presidents XI was stopped in Colombo on Friday (March 13) and the team announced they would be flying back to London.

England were due to play two Tests in Sri Lanka from March 19 to March 31. But keeping in mind the physical and mental well-being of players, England and Wales Cricket Board decided to reschedule the tour.

“There was an element of relief. The right decision has been made,” Root told the BBC.

“You could see looking at the players that their minds were elsewhere thinking about people back home. Now that we can go and look after families and be with loved ones, that’s put a lot of guys at ease.”

During the recently held South Africa tour, several England players were hit by a series of gastroenteritis and flu problems before and during the opening Test.

The England captain said there had been a lot of talk about the virus in the dressing room and it had started to overshadow cricket.

“Looking at how quickly things have happened at home, you’re thinking about family and friends who might be a bit more vulnerable and that’s hard when you’re a long way away.

“It was clear it was getting in the way of performance and affecting the mental well-being of the guys.”

In other parts, New Zealand called-off their ODI tour of Australia while India abandoned the 50-over series against South Africa at home.

(With AFP inputs)