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England, South Africa pay tributes to Queen as series-decider commences


image-l7vwee7dEngland singing their national anthem (PC: Twitter/@surreycricket)

It's been an emotional last few days for England as the British Isles was sent into a state of mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

Meanwhile, England and South Africa paid their tributes to the Queen before the final Test of the three-match series began. 

While Friday's play was suspended, the two teams finally took the field on Saturday in front of the capacity crowd at Kennington Oval, London. Supporting black armbands, players from both the teams walked to the ground amidst a military guard of honour. 

After observing a minute's silence, it was time for the national anthems as the sentimental crowd sang 'God Save the King' in unison with Ben Stokes and Co. 


'It’s a very special occasion for us' - Stokes

England Test skipper Stokes had this to say before the start of play:

"It’s always very special to stand on the ground and sing the national anthem and obviously today will have even more on it. The national anthem might be sung a little bit louder than it is normally, and rightly so.

"It’s great knowing that we’re going to be playing this game, not just for us but in memory of the Queen, so it’s a very special occasion for us."

The third and final Test of the series between England and South Africa finally got underway as only three days of play is now possible in the match.

After winning the toss, the Three Lions opted to bowl first. The Proteas are currently in a woeful position, reeling at 72/7.


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