Ashish Ranjan
On Day 1 of the first Ashes Test in Birmingham, England and Australia cricketers wore black armbands to honor the victims of the Nottingham attack. The players and officials also observed a minute of silence prior to the commencement of play. Three individuals were killed in a vicious stabbing spree, including British Indian medical student and talented cricket and hockey player Grace O’Malley Kumar.
The Nottinghamshire Police have officially identified the 19-year-old as one of the Tuesday morning attack’s victims.She was murdered shortly after her 19-year-old companion Barnaby Webber was fatally stabbed, and the third victim, 65-year-old Ian Coates, was murdered shortly after on a nearby street in Nottingham’s city center.
A 31-year-old male suspect of presumed West African ancestry remains in police detention as counter-terrorism officials assist with the murder investigation.The Barmy Army, England’s official fan organization, will perform ‘Amazing Grace’ during the 56th over of Saturday’s game. The Barmy Army tweeted, “In light of the tragic incident in Nottingham this week, we wanted to honor Barnaby and Grace, who both played cricket.”
Ben Stokes, captain of England, won the toss and elected to bat first on what appeared to be a belter of a pitch. On Friday, the hosts announced their XI, which included three quicks (James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Ollie Robinson) and Moeen Ali, a spin-bowling all-rounder making his return from injury. There was no place for Mark Wood’s recklessness.
Australia, on the other hand, decided not to include Mitchell Starc as Josh Hazlewood returned to the game plan. Hazlewood’s absence from the WTC final due to a side complaint opened the door for Scott Boland, whose impressive line length against India impressed all.
Also See | England will keep all external noise out : Ben Stokes
“We need to rotate our bowlers,” stated Australia’s captain at the toss, Pat Cummins. It was a very difficult decision regarding Mitch, but it’s a good dilemma to have with Josh coming in.Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and Travis Head are ranked first, second, and third in the globe for Test batting, respectively.
After winning the toss in a Test match in England, Stokes elected to bat for the first time on a pitch of a straw-like color and under a bright sky.
Since joining forces with coach Brendon McCullum a year ago, Stokes has led his team to 11 victories in 13 Tests. “It looks like a really good wicket,” he said. “It’s a good time to win the toss, but we need to capitalize on it by scoring some runs.”
