During the second Test of the five-match series between India and England at Edgbaston, Birmingham, players from both sides were seen wearing black armbands as they stood for the national anthems. The gesture was a tribute to former England cricketer Wayne Larkins, who passed away on May 28 at the age of 71.
India Eye Series Equaliser After Leeds Loss
India entered the Birmingham Test aiming to level the series 1-1 after suffering a defeat in the opening Test at Leeds. England, buoyed by their early lead, are targeting a 2-0 advantage in the ongoing series.
Wayne Larkins: A Career Remembered
Wayne Larkins represented England in 13 Test matches and 25 ODIs between 1979 and 1991. In Test cricket, he scored 498 runs, and in ODIs, he amassed 591 runs, including one international century.
While his international career was modest, Larkins earned legendary status in English domestic cricket. Playing for Northamptonshire, he accumulated 27,142 first-class runs in 482 matches, making him a revered figure in county cricket circles.
Playing XIs for 2nd Test at Birmingham
India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
Both teams are expected to put up a fierce contest at Edgbaston, but the moment of solidarity before play began served as a reminder of the deep respect and camaraderie that runs through the cricketing fraternity.
