On the opening day of the second Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham, players from both India and England wore black armbands in memory of former England cricketer Wayne Larkins, who passed away on June 28. The tribute was a mark of respect for the late batter, who had a distinguished career in English domestic and international cricket.

Known affectionately as “Ned,” Larkins played 13 Tests and 25 ODIs for England between 1979 and 1991. A prolific run-scorer in county cricket, he accumulated a staggering 27,142 runs in 482 first-class matches. One of his most memorable moments came in 1990 when he hit the winning runs for England in their famous Test win over the West Indies at Sabina Park.

Ahead of the match, during the national anthems, players were seen sporting black armbands in his honour. This continues a touching trend from the first Test in Leeds, where tributes were paid to victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash, former England pacer David Lawrence, and India’s former left-arm spinner Dilip Doshi.

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Wayne Larkins’ wife, Debbie, shared a deeply emotional message following his passing, calling him a light in every room. “Ned loved everyone he met, and everyone loved him… We are devastated, but we’ll never forget his undeniably unique presence and his impact on our lives,” she said via Northamptonshire’s website.

Why India, England players are wearing black armbands in Birmingham Test?#ENGvIND #TeamIndia https://t.co/HCrLq2qbWM

— CrickIt (@CrickitbyHT) July 2, 2025

In the Test match, England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bowl first, naming an unchanged XI from their win in Leeds. India, on the other hand, made three changes—resting Jasprit Bumrah for workload management and dropping Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur. Akash Deep, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy came into the side.

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Bumrah, who was India’s standout performer in the first Test, is expected to return for the third Test at Lord’s, scheduled from July 10 to 14. While England aims to extend their lead to 2-0, India will be desperate to bounce back and level the series before heading to the iconic London venue.