Play has resumed at The Oval
England Men’s cricketers paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II ahead of day three of the third Test against South Africa at The Oval on Saturday.
The England and Wales Cricket Board had confirmed there would be no play on Friday after the Queen’s death was announced on Thursday.
Players from both sides entered the field in complete silence ahead of the resumption of play on Saturday. An official minute’s silence was held shortly after the teams had lined up.
The minute’s silence was then followed by the national anthem of South Africa before the first televised rendition of ‘God Save the King’ before a major sporting event in 70 years.
A beautiful few moments as cricket pays its respects to Her Majesty The Queen. pic.twitter.com/3QnZiFEOKq
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 10, 2022
The ECB were amongst the sporting bodies to have been on a call with the DCMS on Friday morning, who offered guidance on whether sports events should be played this weekend with the nation in a period of mourning.
Whereas cricket and other major sports such as rugby decided to play on, football opted to postpone its fixtures.
Statements from the Premier League and EFL – who had already postponed two fixtures for Friday evening – confirmed all games would be called off as a mark of respect.
With the Queen’s funeral expected to take place either next weekend or at the start of the following week, it is possible professional football may only return next month.
Related links:
- Trevor Sinclair suspended from talkSPORT after Queen tweet
- Champions League games involving British teams could be played in Dublin next week, according to reports
- Premier League and EFL postpone fixtures following death of Queen Elizabeth II
