Queen Elizabeth II no more: ECB suspends Day 2 of England vs South Africa 3rd Test
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday, September 8, at the age of 96. She was unwell ever since testing positive for COVID-19 in February.
The England and Wales Cricket Board on Thursday decided that day two of the third and final Test between England and South Africa will not take place on Friday following the demise of Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday, September 8, at the age of 96 after 70 years on throne. The Day 1 of the third test was called off due to rain.
Queen Elizabeth II death: ECB provides major update on England vs South Africa 3rd Test
Taking to Twitter the England and Wales Cricket Board announced, “Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Friday’s play between England and South Africa Men at The Oval, along with all scheduled matches in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, will not take place. For fixtures beyond Friday, updates will be provided in due course”
ECB in it’s statement said, “The Queen and her late husband H.R.H. Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, both had a long history of supporting cricket and England’s national sides. The two were Patrons and honorary life members of the MCC, and showed their support by attending games as often as they could over a 50-year period stretching from the early 1960s through to the first day of the second Ashes Test in 2013.”
New ECB Chair Richard Thompson while offering his condolence said, “I’m sure I speak for everyone in the game when I say how truly sad I am to hear of the Queen’s passing. Her Majesty has been such a great supporter of the game and was always so vocal of her and her late husband’s enjoyment around the sport. Her dedication to her country will never be forgotten. For her service and her selflessness over her extraordinary reign, we owe her a debt that can never be repaid.”
England vs South Africa 3rd Test details
The Day 1 of the England vs South Africa 3rd Test saw England skipper Ben Stokes winning the toss and asking South Africa to bat first only for rain to interrupt the proceedings. Currently the three-match Test series is level at 1-1. South Africa won the first by an innings and 12 runs at Lord’s but England bounced back to to win the second Test by an innings and 85 runs at Old Trafford.
England mad eon change to their lineup for the Third test bringing in debutant batter Harry Brook to replace Jonny Bairstow, who suffered a serious leg injury playing golf last week. South Africa made four changes to the squad after losing Rassie van der Dussen with a fractured finger and Lungi Ngidi as a precaution. Ryan Rickelton, Khaya Zondo, Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen were includedin the playing XI, while Aiden Markram and Simon Harmer were dropped.
