England captain Joe Root says his team will not shake hands during its tour of Sri Lanka.

England cricketers will fist bump instead of shaking hands in Sri Lanka as they look to minimise the risk of coronavirus sweeping through the team.

The England squad were hit hard by a virus at the start of the South Africa tour over the winter and they subsequently lost the first test of the series when a team a depleted by illness performed poorly.

In a four-match series, they had time to bounce back and win, but they are playing two tests in just 12 days in Sri Lanka and cannot afford to have a string of players laid low.

The medical team have since introduced stricter hygiene regulations and the players have been given antibacterial gel in their "immunity packs" to take on tour.

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Sri Lanka has had one confirmed case of coronavirus and is not considered a high risk. England travelled there last night and will play their first game, a three-day warm-up match, in Colombo this weekend.

GETTY IMAGES England captain Joe Root says his side will use fist bumps instead of handshakes.

"After the illnesses that swept through the squad in South Africa we are well aware of the importance of keeping contact to a minimum and we've been given some sound advice from our medical team to help prevent spreading germs and bacteria," said Joe Root, the England test captain.

"We are not shaking hands with each other, using instead the well-established fist bump. We are washing hands regularly and wiping down surfaces using the antibacterial wipes and gels we've been given in our immunity packs. There is no suggestion that the tour will be affected, but, of course, it is an evolving situation, so we are in regular contact with the authorities and will proceed as advised, but at this stage we fully expect the tour to continue," Root said.

England have lost Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and James Anderson for the tour due to injury, but welcome back Jack Leach after a difficult winter which included him becoming seriously ill when he contracted sepsis in New Zealand.