Prohibitively, the crowd at the Oval stood and fell silent as representatives of the armed forces formed a guard of honor in front of the stand minutes before kick-off and remained silent as the umpires and players from both sides emerged from their dressing rooms and walked inside of it before lining up for the anthems. The silence was finally and briefly broken, strangely enough, by the announcement of a minute’s silence and then the ringing of the bell by a senior non-commissioned officer of the Irish Guards. The singing of South Africa’s national anthem was observed with similar reverence before a cathartic rendition of God Save the King (the first time it was sung at a televised sporting event in more than 70 years), led by soprano Laura Wright and accompanied by booming baritone of an overwhelmingly male crowd, who feels a little sweet getting into his suddenly unfamiliar verse. And then, as the singer’s last notes faded into silence, a round of applause. It was all very calm, a little eerie at times, but even the staunchest cynic couldn’t detect the respect and warmth that ran through the silence and then the applause. Less than 24 hours earlier, the England and Wales Cricket Board would have felt nervous about their decision to allow the game on Saturday, but they should be commended for doing so and also for organizing a ceremony that took little time, made very little fuss and it felt completely appropriate. As you would have to test cricket’s often maligned fan base to somehow feel, without guidance, exactly how best to play their part in it. Jimmy Anderson’s opening was soundtracked by the Barmy Army trumpeter attempting a complaining Jerusalem, and the somber mood was finally lifted by the ninth ball of the day, with Ollie Robinson coaxing Dean Elgar’s off stump to engage in some rather cartwheeling off message. England slide into action, in front of a big screen that pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian “We know how much the Queen loved this sport and the show must go on,” Ben Stokes said before kick-off. “I’m sure she’ll be looking down on the whole sport going on this weekend and we’ll be going there in her honour. I am very happy and proud that we can do this. “It was very sad news not only for the nation but also for the world. The Queen was someone who gave her life to the nation, someone we take incredible inspiration from and we are honored to be able to take to the field in memory of the Queen.”
