New Delhi: After a victorious ODI series against India, Sri Lanka have embarked on a three-match Test series to England. Both the teams will lock horns in the three Test matches, with the first one scheduled to start on August 21 in Manchester.
Ahead of the start of the series opener, Ollie Pope revealed that the England players would be wearing black armbands in the first match. In a special tribute to late cricketer Graham Thorpe, the English team would be seen with black armbands in the Manchester Test match.
Thorpe passed away on August 4
As per multiple media reports, Thorpe took his life at 55, on August 4, after going through ‘major depression and anxiety,’ as his widow Amanda described. He played 100 Tests for England, scoring 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66 with 16 hundreds and 39 fifties. Pope, who’s leading the England side in absence of regular skipper Ben Stokes, revealed to ESPNcricinfo that “We’ll have our black armbands on throughout the course of the game and there’ll be a tribute to him before,
“It’s hurt a lot of people in that changing-room. He was a great man. I probably had two or three years playing with him as a batting coach. I really admired him,” he added.
The stand-in captain also revealed that the late England great played a very influential part in his career during his time as their batting coach.
“I remember him saying one thing to me, which was: ‘Never let the runs you’re scoring define you as a person’. It shows, for me, what a people’s person he was. He was loved in the changing room. He’s such a sad loss to everyone—to the country, his family and the boys as well. He’s missed, and we’ll honour him this week,” said Pope.
Ahead of the start of the series opener, Ollie Pope revealed that the England players would be wearing black armbands in the first match. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
