 "England and India players paid tribute to Wayne Larkins ahead of the 2nd Test at Edgbaston. Image: AFP")
India and England players paid tribute to former England cricketer Wayne Larkins on Wednesday during the second Test at Edgbaston . Both teams were seen wearing black armbands as a mark of respect after Larkins passed away late last month. A moment’s silence was observed before the start of play to honour his memory.
Who was Wayne Larkins?
Wayne Larkins was an explosive opening batter who played for England between 1979 and 1991. He featured in 13 Test matches and 25 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), scoring over 1,000 international runs combined. While his international career had its ups and downs, he was a consistent performer in county cricket.
Larkins played most of his domestic career for Northamptonshire, also representing Durham and Bedfordshire. He scored more than 27,000 runs in first-class cricket, including 59 centuries.
He was known for his attacking stroke play and was picked in the England team to open the innings with Graham Gooch in overseas tours of Australia and the West Indies. Apart from cricket, Larkins was also a semi-professional footballer, showing his all-round sporting talent.
“Ned loved everyone he met, and everyone loved him. People were drawn to his infectious energy. He lit up every room and never wanted the party to finish. He loved his soul mate of a wife and his precious daughters so much. He will be partying up in the sky, drinking a toast to everyone and to his own life. We are devastated, but we’ll never forget his undeniably unique presence and his impact on our lives,” Larkins’ wife Debbie said on Northamptonshire’s website.
As far as the 2nd Test match between India and England is concerned, the hosts won the toss and elected to bowl first. India batted nicely in the first session despite losing two wickets. Yashasvi Jaiswal once again looked good to score a century but was dismissed by Ben Stokes before tea. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are trying to rebuild.