England captain Root trying to make most of enforced break

England Test captain Joe Root wants to make the most of some unexpected extra time with his family as he urged his side to reflect on their game while cricket is put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Monday should have seen Root leading England in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

But the tour was halted midway through a warm-up match on March 13, before the two-Test series had even started, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The England and Wales Cricket Board have postponed all domestic cricket until at least May 28.

"Getting the chance to spend time with family at home is obviously something we don't get a huge amount of," said Root, the father of a three-year-old son, in a conference call.

"Very strange times we are living in. I think it's important that when we get our opportunities we try to help and support everyone around us and really come together like we've seen a lot of throughout the whole nation over the last couple of weeks."