England and Australia will honour the victims of the Bondi beach shootings during the third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, with players wearing black armbands and flags flown at half-staff.
The tribute comes after a horrific attack on Sunday night in which two gunmen killed 15 people and injured dozens more at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach. Authorities said the victims were members of Sydney’s Jewish community who had gathered to mark the start of Hanukkah, describing the incident as an antisemitic act of terrorism.
Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board issued a joint statement expressing their solidarity.
“All of our thoughts are with the victims, their friends and families, the Jewish community and the people of Australia
at this deeply distressing time,” the statement read. “Our condolences go out to all those affected. We stand with you.”
Australia captain Pat Cummins also paid tribute, urging the public to help in any way possible.
“My heart goes out to the victims, their families, the people of Bondi and our Jewish community during this time,” Cummins said. “If you can, please book an appointment to donate blood.”
England skipper Ben Stokes said the news stunned his squad when it broke on Sunday night.
“What happened a couple of days ago was an awful thing to watch unfold,” Stokes said. “We were in our team room and it came up on the news about what was happening. There was silence from everyone in there seeing that happen.”
Cricket Australia confirmed that renowned Australian folk singer John Williamson will take part in the tributes before play begins. Williamson will perform his iconic song True Blue following a moment’s silence, and before the Indigenous “Welcome to Country” and the national anthems of Australia and England.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said the sport had a rare chance to unite people during a moment of national grief.
“This is a tragic time for all Australians,” Greenberg said. “While sport can seem insignificant at times like this, we have the unusual opportunity to bring millions together to pay tribute, to console and to reflect on what we want our nation to be.”
Australia lead the five-Test Ashes series 2–0 heading into the Adelaide match.
(with agency inputs)
