England players are wearing black armbands (Screengrab)

England’s players are seen wearing black armbands on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s as part of a special tribute to former cricketers who have passed away since the team’s last home international fixture.Before the start of play on Thursday, a moment of silence was observed ahead of the national anthems, with players from both sides joining in paying their respects. The black armbands were worn in memory of several former England cricketers, including Ken Shuttleworth, John Jameson, Barry Knight, Robin Smith, Hugh Morris, Norman Gifford, Eric Russell, Tony Pigott and MJK Smith.The emotional pre-match ceremony also included a tribute to New Zealand great Martin Crowe, marking 10 years since his passing. Crowe remains one of the most influential figures in New Zealand cricket history, and the Lord’s crowd warmly acknowledged his legacy. His daughter, Emma Crowe, rang the traditional five-minute bell before the start of the Test, drawing appreciative applause around the ground.Once the commemorations concluded, attention shifted to the cricket as New Zealand captain Tom Latham won the toss and elected to bowl under partly cloudy conditions.The visitors unveiled a formidable pace attack led by Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke. Jamieson and O’Rourke, both towering quicks standing at least 1.97 metres tall, are playing together in a Test for the first time after overcoming long-term back injuries. Nathan Smith, who impressed with eight wickets against Ireland in a recent warm-up match, completed the seam-heavy attack, while Glenn Phillips was preferred to Mitchell Santner.England handed a debut to Emilio Gay, the Durham opener who recently represented Italy in T20 internationals. The hosts also recalled Ollie Robinson, whose last Test appearance came in 2024. Robinson joins captain Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue in the pace department.The Lord’s Test marks England’s first red-ball outing since their 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia earlier this year, adding extra significance to the start of the series.