(Reuters) – England’s men’s and women’s players will wear black armbands on day one of tests against Australia this month as a tribute to victims of a stabbing and van attack in the English city of Nottingham, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said on Thursday.
A minute’s silence will be observed before the men’s opening Ashes test at Edgbaston on Friday, as well as the women’s one-off test against Australia in Nottingham from June 22-26.
“The deeply distressing scenes witnessed in Nottingham this week have brought immense sorrow to everyone, particularly the cherished friends and families of the victims,” England men’s test captain Ben Stokes said.
“It is impossible to express how much their lives and futures have been tragically disrupted.
“These events sadden the England cricket teams, and we are thinking about those affected at this harrowing time. As a gesture of respect, we will honour them by wearing black armbands.”
Three people died and another was left in a critical condition after the attack.
One of the teenage victims, Grace Kumar, had played hockey for England’s Under-18 team and cricket for Woodford Wells Cricket Club and her fellow student Barnaby Webber was said to be a keen cricketer.
“It was incredibly saddening to learn about the events that took place in Nottingham, and it felt a bit closer to home to learn that two of the victims had been cricket players,” England women’s captain Heather Knight said.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India, editing by Ed Osmond)
