On Day 1 of the first Ashes Test at Birmingham, cricket players from England and Australia wore black armbands as a sign of respect for the victims of the attack in Nottingham. Just before play began, the players and officials observed a minute of silence. A violent stabbing attack claimed the lives of three people, including British Indian teen medical student Grace O’Malley Kumar, a gifted hockey and cricket player.
The 19-year-old has been officially named as one of the victims of the incident that happened in the wee hours of Tuesday by Nottinghamshire Police.
She died shortly after her 19-year-old friend Barnaby Webber, who had also been fatally stabbed, and shortly after that, 65-year-old Ian Coates was also fatally stabbed in the heart of Nottingham.
As counterterrorism officials assist with the murder investigation, a man suspect, 31, who is thought to be of West African descent, is still in police custody.
On Saturday, in the 56th over of play, the Barmy Army, England’s official fan club, will perform a rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
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“In light of the tragic incident in Nottingham this week, we wanted to commemorate Barnaby and Grace who both played cricket,” the Barmy Army tweeted.
https://twitter.com/TheBarmyArmy/status/1669637279130738688
Toss and team update
The toss was won by England captain Ben Stokes, who decided to bat first on what appeared to be a belter of a track. The hosts had previously revealed their starting lineup on Friday, which included one spin-bowling all-rounder in Moeen Ali, three quicks in James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson, and a comeback from Moeen Ali. Mark Wood, the tearaway fast pacer did not find a place in the XI.
Australia, on the other hand, made the decision to bench Mitchell Starc in favour of a fully functional Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood’s absence from the WTC final due to a side strain made room for Scott Boland, whose nagging line length versus India won over everyone’s admiration.
“We need to rotate our bowlers,” said the Aussie Captain Pat Cummins at the toss. While talking about the playing XI, Cummins said, “It was a really tough call on Mitch, but it’s a nice problem to have with someone like Josh to come in.”
The toss-winning captain, Stokes said, “It looks a really good wicket.” Stokes along with Brendon McCullum’s coaching staff since last year, has 11 victories in 13 Test matches. Stokes further said, “It’s a good toss to win but we’ve got to get some runs on the board now and make the most of it.”
Also Read: Ashes: Moeen Ali is back in squad, a look at his performance
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