South African and Australian players observed a minute’s silence and wore black armbands ahead of the third day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s as a tribute to the Air India plane crash victims.
An Air India passenger plane from Ahmedabad to London, carrying 242 passengers and crew, had crashed just moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon.
The tragedy left 241 people on board dead, with only one person surviving. The total death toll has risen to 265 since the aircraft crashed into a medical college complex.
According to the airline, among the 230 passengers, 169 were Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. The other 12 onboard were crew members.
Tailenders Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc were at the crease ahead of the day’s play, while seamer Kagiso Rabada started proceedings with the ball on Friday.
Australia is defending its WTC title, which it won in 2023 after beating India in the final. Meanwhile, South Africa is eyeing its first ICC title since 1998.