On the third day of the ICC World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord’s, both teams, along with the officials, will wear black armbands to honour the victims of a tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad.
2025 WTC Final: Players and officials don black armbands
They also observed a minute’s silence before the start of the third day’s play on Friday, June 13, as a gesture of solidarity.
The sombre occasion follows a devastating Air India crash that occurred on Thursday. The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The flight, which was scheduled to travel to the Gatwick Airport in London, went down near the BJ Medical College, seconds after take-off, resulting in a major fire and significant destruction.
The aircraft had 242 on board, including two pilots and 10 crew members. There has only been one confirmed survivor thus far.
Ahead of the start of play on day three, commentator Nasser Hussain clarified on the broadcast, "It's noticeable that the players are wearing black armbands... while we've been having fun in the sun here in England, all our thoughts yesterday were with what happened in India. And following those devastating events in Ahmedabad yesterday, please join us in a moment's silence to show respect for all those affected by that tragedy."
India teams wear black armbands during intra-squad game
Elsewhere, the India senior team is facing the India A side in an intra-squad match at the Kent County Ground in Beckenham. The players and support staff observed a moment of silence ahead of the clash on Friday and are wearing black armbands.
Image credit: JioHotstar
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