Why are players wearing black armbands during India vs England Lord’s ODI? | Cricket News
Players from India and England paid tribute to cricket legend Sir Gary Sobers by wearing black armbands in the third and final ODI at Lord’s on Sunday, two days after the West Indies great passed away. The action comes ahead of the series decider between the two sides at the iconic venue, with both teams paying tribute to one of the game’s greatest all-rounders. Sobers, widely regarded as one of cricket’s greatest players, died on Friday, prompting tributes from across the cricketing world. The players took to the field wearing black armbands as a sign of respect before the start of the game in London. The tribute comes ahead of a crucial clash, where India and England have entered the third-tier ODI at 1-1 after sharing the opening two matches of the series. England captain Harry Brook won the toss and elected to bat first, backing his side to take advantage of what he believed to be a good batting surface. “We have a bat today. It looks like a good face; hopefully we can get a decent score on the board and put them under pressure,” Brook said in passing. England have made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Josh Tongue in place of Saqib Mahmood. India has been forced into many changes, which have Jasprit Bumrah Defeated after experiencing reactive swelling in his left knee following an impact injury sustained while fielding in the second ODI in Cardiff. KL Rahul returned after missing the previous match, while Prince Yadav and Arshdeep Singh also came into the side. Washington Sundar was unavailable due to injury. Indian captain Shubman Gill admitted that he prefers to bowl first. “We should have bowled. Boom missed out with a knee injury. KL, Prince and Arshdeep came in. We tried to play four seamers. We were in a good position and lost too many wickets,” said Gill. Lord’s encounter also brings more significance to the ODI World Cup which is less than a year away. England went into the decider banking on the incredible form of Joe Root after unbeaten knocks of 76 and 99 in the first two matches, while India looked to experience experienced campaigns. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to help secure a series win. Before the cricketing action began, however, the focus was on the memory of Sir Gary Sobers, as both teams joined together to pay their respects to one of the game’s most iconic figures by wearing black armbands.
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