The England cricketers are donning black armbands on the opening day of the Lord’s Test match against New Zealand.
Black armbands for England cricketers at Lord’s
England began their home summer of 2026 with a three-match Test series against New Zealand, the first of which began today (June 4) at Lord’s. In the process, the historic venue became the first in the world to host 150 Test matches.
Ahead of the game, the ECB shared a press release that ran: “There will be a moment of silence before the national anthems, and England players will wear black armbands as a mark of respect for the former England cricketers who have passed away since England’s last home international match.” Both were duly followed.
England Men last played a home international on September 12, 2025 – a T20I against South Africa at Old Trafford. Another game, scheduled on September 14 at Trent Bridge, was washed out without a ball being bowled.
Since September 12, 2025, eight England cricketers passed away: John Jameson (four Tests, three ODIs), Barry Knight (29 Tests), Robin Smith (62 Tests, 71 ODIs), Hugh Morris (three Tests), Norman Gifford (15 Tests, two ODIs), Eric Russell (10 Tests), Tony Pigott (one Test), and MJK Smith (50 Tests).
At the game, New Zealand captain Tom Latham won the toss and opted to field. At the time of writing, England were 18-1 with Ben Duckett on six and Jacob Bethell on two. Kyle Jamieson had debutant Emilio Gay caught at slip for eight.
