Picture Credit: Twitter
The players from England and Australia men’s cricket teams lined up wearing blue caps before the start of play on day 2 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. This gesture was a tribute to the late great English cricketer, Bob Willis, who had lit up the Ashes series as a fast bowler during his legendary career in the 70s and 80s.
On June 17, Saturday, the entire Edgbaston turned blue as part of the #BlueForBob day. The former captain of England had passed away on December 4, 2019 due to prostate cancer at the age of 70. During his international career, Bob Willis played 90 Tests, in which he picked up 325 wickets at an average of 25.20. He also got 80 wickets in 64 ODIs at an average of 24.60.
The Twitter account of Edgbaston sent out a post, a few hours before the start of play on day 2 of the first Ashes 2023 Test match between England and Australia, urging fans to wear the blue hat to support the Bob Willis Fund, created to fight against prostate cancer. The tweet read, “It’s #BlueForBob at Edgbaston today. If you're attending, remember to wear a splash of blue. Show your support for @bobwillisfund.”
The wife of Bob Willis, named Lauren Clark alongside his brother David, established a fund in his name to help raise money for research into prostate cancer while raising awareness about the disease.
In 2021, Edgbaston went #BlueForBob for the first time when England and Pakistan played an ODI international at this venue. Last year, when India toured England for the final Test of the five match series in Birmingham, the second annual day in the memory of Bob Willis was held.
Over the course of the last two years, over 800,000 pounds have been raised in the Bob Willis Fund, which is expected to go past a million pounds during the first few days of the opening Ashes Test match between England and Australia.
