The third day of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025 at Lord’s Cricket Ground started on a somber tone with players of both Australia and South Africa observing a one-minute silence in regard to the victims of the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. The fatal accident that happened on Thursday killed 241 people, leaving only one survivor.
The players and the match officials went out into the field earlier than usual before the start of the play on that day. There was a sign of respect as all players and officials had black armbands on. Former Australia opener and the latest entrant in the ICC Hall of Fame, Matthew Hayden, rang the traditional bell at Lord’s to indicate five minutes before the start of play. After the bell, the teams went to the middle and stood there in a solemn moment of silence, in memory of those who had died in the disaster.
Air India flight, which was heading to London Gatwick, crashed a few seconds after leaving Ahmedabad. It had on board 230 passengers and 12 crew members. The sole survivor was a British citizen of Indian nationality, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, aged 40, sitting in row 11A, close to an emergency exit in the economy class.
However, although the tragedy overshadowed the match, the WTC Final itself is delicately balanced. After gaining a lead of 74 runs in the first innings, Australia collapsed dramatically in their second innings, at one moment being 73/7. But a Sandy collaboration between Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc contributed 61 important runs in the eighth wicket and put Australia a little bit in control.
Even as cricket fans across the world remain divided over the tussle between the two teams in the Test series, the cricketing fraternity is in one mourning and support mode with the victims of the plane crash in Ahmedabad.
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