The United Kingdom remains in a state of mourning following the passing of Her The Queen of Britain, Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. As a mark of respect for the Monarch, Friday’s action of England’s third Test against South Africa has been suspended.
Buckingham Palace announced that national mourning will continue until seven days after the funeral, whose date is yet to be confirmed. Following multiple different considerations, including public sentiment and security concerns, the ECB has decided to cancel all the cricketing action scheduled for Friday.
The Test game was supposed to begin on September 8, but was abandoned due to rain. The day was eventually washed out, and following this massive news from Buckingham Palace, it remains to be seen if cricket will resume on Saturday.
“Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Friday’s play between England and South Africa Men at the Oval, along with all scheduled matches in the Rachel Heyhoe-Flint Trophy, will not take place. For fixtures beyond Friday, updates will be provided in due course,”
the ECB said in a statement.
The longest-serving Monarch in British history, HM Queen Elizabeth II in one of the most globally recognized figures and a pillar of the British political system. Sporting action across the country has taken a hit, with the Premier League already announcing the postponement of its fixtures this weekend.
The funeral could happen next weekend, possibly around 17-19th September, and we could see sporting events get postponed if they are overlapping with the funeral. Currently, ECB and CSA are discussing if the Test match can continue or if it must be cancelled altogether.
The Queen had an interesting connection with Indian cricket. King George VI, her father, passed away in 1952, following which the Queen had ascended to the throne with immediate effect. At this time, England were playing a Test against India in Chennai. After a day or mourning was observed, the Test resumed and India registered their first-ever win in Test cricket.
All of India’s wins in international cricket came under her ruling, including yesterday’s Asia Cup win against Afghanistan.
