England cricketers have been wearing black armbands recently as a mark of respect and tribute to individuals and tragic events related to cricket and the broader community. For example:
- During the first Test at Headingley in June 2025, England and India players wore black armbands to express solidarity and condolences for the victims of the Air India flight AI 171 crash near Ahmedabad, which had a high death toll.
- On Day 3 of the same Test, players wore black armbands to pay respects to David "Syd" Lawrence, the first British-born Black cricketer to represent England, who passed away after battling motor neurone disease.
- On the last day of the same Test, the armbands honored Dilip Doshi, former India spinner, who passed away recently.
- In the second Test at Birmingham, both teams wore black armbands to pay tribute to Wayne Larkins, a former England cricketer who passed away in late June 2025.
In general, the black armbands are worn during matches to pay homage to recently deceased cricketers or as a sign of mourning for tragic events affecting the cricket community or its followers.
Thus, the England cricketers are wearing armbands as a traditional gesture of mourning and respect linked to current significant events and losses in cricket.
