Team India and England players wore black armbands on Day 3 of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, to honour the memory of former England fast bowler David ‘Syd’ Lawrence, who passed away recently. Lawrence, who featured in five Tests and one ODI for England between 1988 and 1992, died at the age of 61.
He began his first-class cricket career in 1981 and made his Test debut in 1988. After a brief hiatus, he returned to play three more Tests in 1991, claiming 14 wickets. His sole ODI appearance came in 1991 against the West Indies at Lord’s, where he took four wickets. Over his career, Lawrence amassed an impressive 625 wickets across 185 first-class matches for Gloucestershire.
In 2022, he was named president of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and continued in the role even after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2023. He dedicated his final years to raising awareness about the condition. Before play began on Day 3, players and fans observed a moment of applause to pay tribute to Lawrence’s legacy.
Leeds Test Hangs In Balance After Tightly Contested First Session
Meanwhile, the third day of the Headingley Test remains delicately balanced heading into the lunch break. England resumed their innings at 209/3 and added 118 runs during the morning session, losing two key wickets in the process. Prasidh Krishna struck early to remove centurion Ollie Pope for 106, while Mohammed Siraj accounted for Ben Stokes, who managed 20.
Despite the setbacks, Harry Brook looked in fluent touch and remained unbeaten on 57 at the interval, alongside Jamie Smith, who made a solid start to his innings. Earlier, England had dismissed India for 471 in the first innings, a total built on three centuries, with skipper Shubman Gill leading the way with a fine 147.
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