The three-game Test series between England and Sri Lanka kicked off today at Old Trafford in Manchester. England is missing their captain Ben Stokes, who is out for the whole series, so Ollie Pope has stepped in as captain. But why are the teams wearing black armbands?
Both teams are wearing black armbands today to honor former England cricketer Graham Thorpe, who passed away earlier this month. Thorpe, who struggled with depression, tragically took his own life, as confirmed by his wife. Thorpe was a legendary England batter, having played 100 Test matches, and later worked as the team’s batting coach. England’s stand-in captain, Ollie Pope, announced before the game that the team would be paying tribute to him.
“We’ll be wearing black armbands throughout the game, and there will be a tribute to him before it starts. His passing has deeply affected a lot of people in the team. He was a great man, and I had the privilege of working with him as a batting coach for two or three years. One thing he said to me that I’ll always remember is, ‘Never let the runs you’re scoring define you as a person.’ At a tough time, that was exactly what I needed to hear. He was a people person, loved in the locker room, and he’s a huge loss to everyone—his family, the country, and the team. We’ll miss him and honor him this week,” Pope said.
Before the match, the teams lined up for a moment of applause before the national anthems, and the players will continue to wear black armbands throughout the game.
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As for the game itself, Sri Lanka is in trouble after choosing to bat first, losing three wickets for just six runs. Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, and Angelo Mathews are already out, and things are looking tough for the visitors.
Playing XIs
England: Daniel Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (w), Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake.
