New Zealand players are wearing black armbands on day one of the ongoing third Test against England in Nottingham.
New Zealand players sporting black armbands as sign of respect for Bob Blair
The third and deciding Test match between England and New Zealand got underway on Thursday, June 25, at Trent Bridge. The visitors took the field with black armbands as a mark of respect for former New Zealand fast bowler, Bob Blair, who passed away on June 23, on his 94th birthday.
New Zealand Cricket confirmed the development in a statement. “As a sign of respect to Bob Blair and his family," it read, "the Blackcaps will don black armbands for the first day of the third Test against England on Thursday in Nottingham.”
Blair played 19 Tests for New Zealand after making his debut against South Africa in 1953. He picked up 43 wickets at an average of 35.23 with three four-wicket hauls, while also mustering 189 runs with the bat. He played 119 first-class matches during his career and accounted for 537 wickets at a brilliant average of 18.54, with a stunning 41 five-wicket hauls. However, Blair is fondly remembered for the courage he showed during New Zealand's 1953 South Africa tour.
During the second Test at Ellis Park, the 21-year-old Bob learned that his fiancée, Nerissa Love, was one of the 151 people who lost their lives in the Tangiwai rail disaster on Christmas Eve. Blair had initially stayed back, but with his side in trouble, he came out to bat and added 33 runs for the last wicket with Bert Sutcliffe. The 23,000-strong crowd at Ellis Park gave the duo a standing ovation at the end of the innings.
As for the Trent Bridge Test, New Zealand opted to bat first after winning the toss. At the time of writing, the visitors were in a terrific position at 149/0 with both their openers, Tom Latham and Devon Conway, unbeaten on 70 each.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
