Revealed: Why England Players Are Wearing Black Armbands On Day 2 Of The Headingley Test

England is currently engaged in the third of the 5-match Test series against India at Headingley, Leeds. The series is at 1-0 in favor of India, with the visitors having grabbed the Lord’s Test by the skin of their teeth a week ago. The first Test at Trent Bridge was drawn due to incessant showers.

Coming into the third Test, England dominated India throughout Day 1 to gain the upper hand. At the start of the second day, the English players were seen wearing black armbands. The reason for the same has been revealed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Ted Dexter, former English captain, passed away at the age of 86 on Wednesday. In honor of his death, the hosts wore black armbands to mark their respect for the legendary former cricketer. Dexter played 62 Tests for England, scoring over 4500 runs at a healthy average of 47.89.

Our players are wearing black armbands today to honour the passing of our former captain Ted Dexter.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/VF6ZeTEuVs

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 26, 2021

He was also contributing with the ball, chipping in with wickets from his medium pace deliveries. He will always be known for his shrewd captaincy, also holding the record for most runs scored by an England captain in an Ashes series in Australia. He achieved the feat in the 1961-62 series, amassing 481 runs overall.

Hosts England in firm control of the Headingley Test against India

Coming into the third Test with the Lord’s wounds still burning, England couldn’t have asked for a better performance from their team. Joe Root and his men would be considering the toss as a good one to lose, as India’s decision to bat first came under scrutiny almost immediately.

In-form opener KL Rahul was dismissed in the first over, by a tempting James Anderson delivery outside off. The rest of the batsmen followed suit, either while playing a rash shot or due to the tight bowling on display. India barely managed to survive 40 overs before being bundled out for 78.

It was their third-lowest total while batting first, and the ignominious day was yet to conclude. English openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed teamed up to accumulate a 100-run partnership, courtesy of some fluent batting and erroneous bowling from the much-vaunted Indian pace attack.

While Haseeb raced to his fifty rather quickly, Burns slowly caught up with his partner to notch up his 10th career half-century. They survived till the end of the day’s play, pushing the Englishmen into a lead of 42 runs. The Headingley track is traditionally known to favor batsmen as the days go by, so England will be keen on piling up a huge first-innings lead.

Also Read – “India Would Want To Forget This Day” – Zaheer Khan On Day 1 Performance At Headingley