West Indies wear black armbands in Perth Test against Australia as tribute to David Murray

West Indies and hosts Australia have locked horns in the first of the two test match series at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The Windies paid tribute to former wicketkeeper David Murray, who passed away last week, as they have wore the black armbands during play on Day 1.

Playing a Test match on Australian soil after nearly seven years, the Windies players were spotted wearing the black armbands over their jerseys. The Caribbean side wanted to show a mark of respect for Murray, 72, who passed away last week in Barbados. He was the son of legendary West Indies batter, Sir Everton Weekes.

West Indies are wearing black armbands as a tribute to David Murray, the former West Indies keeper who passed away last week.

Murray was 72. He played 19 Tests and 10 ODIs. He held a record 9 catches in the 1981 Boxing Day Test at the MCG. #AUSvWI #MenInMaroon pic.twitter.com/DTIHPwRMjP

— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) November 30, 2022

“West Indies are wearing black armbands as a tribute to David Murray, the former West Indies keeper who passed away last week. Murray was 72. He played 19 Tests and 10 ODIs. He held a record 9 catches in the 1981 Boxing Day Test at the MCG,” tweeted the official handle of West Indies cricket.

“On behalf of CWI, I want to offer my sincere condolences to Ricky [Hoyte, son], and other members of David’s family and friends. David was a gifted wicketkeeper and a stylish middle-order batsman. He loved the game of cricket and played with a smile on his face. He will be remembered as a member of the great West Indies squad which dominated world cricket for over a decade,” read a tribute by Cricket West Indies (CWI) President Ricky Skerritt.

Marnus Labuschagne scores a century in 1st innings 

Speaking about the first test match, the hosts won the toss and elected to bat first against the Windies. Despite losing flamboyant batter David Warner early on, the Aussies picked up well with strong batting performances coming from Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja in their innings. 

Steve Smith also scored a half-century and is currently unbeaten on 59 runs while Labuschagne is looking solid on 154 as Australia ended the day at 293/2.