England vs New Zealand, 1st Test: Why are England players wearing black armbands?

England are wearing black armbands and observed a minute of silence ahead of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on Thursday.

The gesture is understood to be a mark of respect to all former England players that passed away, a total of nine, since the team’s last home international fixture on August 4, 2025 against India.

The list of players include Ken Shuttleworth, John Jameson, Barry Knight, among others.

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The cermony also included a tribute to the tenth death anniversary of New Zealand great Martin Crowe, with his daughter Emma Crowe ringing the traditional five-minute bell before the start of play.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham won the toss and opted to bowl first. Kyle Jamieson removed debutant Emilio Gay before rain interrupted proceedings to force an early lunch break. England are 24/1 in 10 overs at Lunch.

Published on Jun 04, 2026