 "'Goosebumps': England cricketers singing first televised rendition of 'God Save the King' goes viral")
synopsis
England cricketers sang the first televised version of 'God Save the King' before day's play in the Oval Test against South Africa, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
After Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's death, English cricketers performed the first televised rendition of "God Save the King" before a sporting match in 70 years.
Following the sad demise of the UK's longest-serving monarch on Thursday at the age of 96, the second day's play at the ongoing Oval Test between England and South Africa was cancelled as a mark of respect.
The decision to restart play on Saturday morning was reached after discussion with DCMS and in accordance with Official National Mourning Guidance.
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The third Test between England and South Africa began with all the players wearing black armbands as a sign of respect.
Everyone at The Oval respectfully observed a minute of silence before the players took the field, surrounded by a military guard of honour.
The South African national song was then played, followed by an emotional audience singing "God Save the King" under the direction of soprano Laura Wright.
It was the first time this version of the anthem, which was penned in 1745, had been sung at a sporting event since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
At least 2,000 people at last night's service honouring The Queen at St. Paul's Cathedral sang a rendition.
Ben Stokes, the captain of England, said yesterday that playing this weekend in her memory would be an honour.
"She loved sport, be honoured to play in her memory," he tweeted. The 31-year-old followed his words with a heart emoji.
Prior to play starting today, Stokes told the BBC, "It's obviously been a sad couple of days not only for us but the whole nation and the world as well.
"It's great to be stood here knowing that we're going to be playing this game, not just for us but in memory of the Queen so it's a very special occasion for us.
"We were still waiting for confirmation of what was going to happen this week so the lads were just sitting around waiting for that yesterday.
"Once we heard the news it was good to hear from our point of view. There wasn't much going on for us yesterday to be honest."
All advertising was removed from The Oval, instead replaced by tributes to Her Majesty.
The ECB decided to resume play yesterday just hours after the Premier League opted to postpone all fixtures between September 9-11.
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