Ashes 2023: Barmy Army to pay tribute to Nottingham stabbing attack victims on opening day of first Test

The much-awaited Ashes 2023 finally got underway on Friday, June 16 at Edgbaston as England and Australia are locking horns in the first Test. England have won the toss and elected to bat first as opener Zak Crawley began the historic series in the most stylish way possible. The right-handed batter drove Australian skipper Pat Cummins for a boundary off the very first ball of the match to introduce the Aussies to their ‘Bazball’ style of play.

Apart from witnessing breathtaking cricketing action on Day 1, the fans at Edgbaston will also be paying tribute to the victims of a stabbing and van attack in Nottingham. England’s fan group Barmy Army will pay tribute to two victims of the attack, Barnaby and Grace, who both played cricket. Barmy Army requested the fans to join them in singing ‘Amazing Grace’ in the memory of the deceased during the 53rd over of the day which was also Barnaby’s playing number.

The fan group took to Twitter and wrote, “Important announcement 🎺In light of the tragic incident in Nottingham this week, we wanted to commemorate Barnaby and Grace who both played cricket. So please join us in the 53rd over (Barnaby’s playing number) for a rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’ as requested by their teammates.”

Important announcement 🎺

In light of the tragic incident in Nottingham this week, we wanted to commemorate Barnaby and Grace who both played cricket.

So please join us in the 53rd over (Barnaby’s playing number) for a rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’ as requested by their team… pic.twitter.com/cbeRSiw7DJ

— England's Barmy Army 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) June 16, 2023

England team was also spotted wearing black armbands to pay homage to the victims of the tragic incident. A minute of silence was also observed ahead of the start of play for the same. The proceedings will be repeated during the start of the one-off Women’s Ashes Test on June 22 in Nottingham.

Three people were killed in the attack

Notably, three people namely Barnaby Webber, 19, Grace O'Malley-Kumar, 19, and a man in his 50s were stabbed and three more were left seriously injured during the horrific attack. Grace had played hockey for England's Under-18 team and cricket for Woodford Wells Cricket Club and her fellow student Barnaby Webber was also a cricketer.

Meanwhile, Australia have benched their star seamer Mitchell Starc for the first Test with Josh Hazlewood making his way into the Playing XI. Hazlewood couldn’t feature in the recent WTC final 2023 due to an injury and was replaced by Scott Boland who shone with the ball.