Why England players lined up with swapped jerseys ahead of Day 3 in final Ashes Test? Watch
The third day of the final Ashes Test saw a heartwarming gesture from the England players at The Oval, as they lined up ahead of the start of the day wearing each other’s jerseys; the message of the gesture was to raise awareness about dementia. Veteran pacer James Anderson was wearing his bowling partner Stuart Broad’s jersey, while wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow donned English captain Ben Stokes’s shirt. Likewise, the players donned different names in their jerseys, receiving thundering applause from the fans present at the stadium.
Jonny Bairstow donning Ben Stokes’ jersey ahead of Day 3 in fifth Test(Twitter)
The move was symbolic of the confusion often experienced by people suffering from dementia, the disease that causes loss of memory. England’s assistant coach Marcus Trescothick spoke in detail about the discussions that led to the decision, jointly taken by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Alzheimer’s Society.
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“We are here supporting the Alzheimer’s Society, and it is a subject very close to our hearts. It is a terrible disease,” said Trescothick while talking to Sky Sports.
“We are here to try and raise awareness and bring it to the fore by educating people, and raising money too. The more money and awareness go into it, there will be more research.
“We have seen that new medication and new drugs have come into the market, they can make a big impact into that. Hopefully, today’s initiative will keep pushing people to understand that,” added Trescothick.
Watch the video as England players sported different jerseys before the start of the play:
Trescothick also had a personal reason in being associated with the noble effort, as his father Martyn is living with dementia.
The fifth Ashes Test sees the final bit of red-ball action before the teams switch to one-day format to resume preparations for the 2023 ODI World Cup, scheduled to take place in India. The next Test series in the cricket calendar will take place in December, when Pakistan tour Australia. While England will host New Zealand and Ireland for an ODIs in September, Australia will tour South Africa and India for fifty-over matches before the World Cup in October-November.
Australia are leading the Ashes series 2-1, having already retained the series after the fourth Test ended in a draw, thanks to incessant rains in Manchester. The Pat Cummins-led side is chasing Australia’s first Ashes win on English soil since 2001.
