Thursday 4 December 2014 16:10, UK
Cricket Australia will be understanding of players who feel uncomfortable about playing in the wake of the death of Phillip Hughes when the rescheduled India test series starts next week.
Hughes will be buried in Macksvillie on Wednesday some six days after he died from a catastrophic injury caused by a ball striking him in the back of the head during a domestic match.
Captain Michael Clarke will act as a pallbearer at the funeral which is expected to attract over 5,000 mourners and will be televised live throughout Australia.
The reshuffle of the India series, which was originally scheduled to begin in Brisbane on Thursday, was announced late on Monday with the Adelaide match now the first of the four tests and starting next Tuesday.
Admitting that the new arrangements were by no means "perfect", Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland expressed his thanks to the understanding shown by all stakeholders but reiterated the welfare of the players was secondary only to that of the Hughes family.
"There's a funeral tomorrow, let's just understand that's going to be difficult enough as it is," Sutherland said on Tuesday.
"I'd encourage everyone to give players their space and let them in their own way work through that.
"It's absolutely up to the individual (whether they play), and any player that is not comfortable or doesn't feel right, or there is medical advice that it is not quite right, we will obviously understand that."
Pace bowler Ryan Harris, who was included in the squad for the first test despite being on his way back from knee surgery, later said he was not sure he would be emotionally ready to bowl in Adelaide.
"Tomorrow is the day we are thinking about. In the back of our mind is Tuesday and we have got to do what we can to try to prepare for that," said Harris.
"I'm still thinking about it and I'm not sure, see how we go tomorrow, I guess. But this is tough for some boys and it is going to be tough for me. I will have to work it out when I get to Adelaide and see how we all feel.
"The boys who were there who witnessed what happened I can't speak for them because I can't imagine what they are going through."
Sutherland said the Hughes family had been "overwhelmed" by the outpouring of sympathy from around the world and said he hoped the funeral - three days after what would have been Hughes's 26th birthday - would provide a measure of closure.
"We're headed to Macksville for a funeral and hopefully that's a great celebration of Phillip's life and then we can move forward," he said.
"At the same time, we understand the challenge for our players and those closest to the Hughes family, and of course the Hughes family."
