Cricket Australia supports Ruth Strauss Foundation Day at Lord's

Cricket Australia is supporting the inaugural Ruth Strauss Foundation Day, which is taking place on the second day at the Lord's.

Kevin Roberts, Cricket Australia CEO, said the Australian men's Test team were honoured to be taking part in the inaugural Ruth Strauss Foundation Day.

"It will be incredible to see Lord's turned red in honour of Ruth," Roberts said.

"Ruth hailed from Ballarat and met Andrew while he was playing grade cricket in Sydney. She was well-loved in both countries and I can think of no better occasion to celebrate her life than a day named in her honour during an Ashes Test at Lord's, which was Andrew's home ground with England and Middlesex," he added.

 

The Ruth Strauss Foundation was founded by Andrew Strauss in honour of his wife, who died from a rare form of lung cancer in December at the age of 46.The Ruth Strauss Foundation -- with the support of the England and Wales Cricket Board, the Marylebone Cricket Club and Cricket Australia -- will pay tribute to Ruth on day two of the second Ashes Test by turning Lord's into a "sea of red".

Spectators have been urged to wear red attire, while players from both teams will wear commemorative red caps and carry red numbers on their backs.Game-used apparel and equipment will be auctioned after the Test, with funds going to support research into rare lung cancers.The Ruth Strauss Foundation provides emotional, psychological and wellbeing support to patients and their families going through a similar experience which the Strauss family endured after Ruth's diagnosis in 2017.It is expected the day will prove as successful as the annual Jane McGrath Day during the Sydney Test. Donations from the "Pink Test", as it has become known, have helped the McGrath Foundation support 75,000 Australian families since 2005 by employing 135 dedicated breast care nurses.

"The Ruth Strauss Foundation day at Lord's is not only a celebration of Ruth's life but will raise awareness and vital funds to produce better research into rare forms of lung cancer," Andrew Strauss said.

"Through these donations, we will be able to provide grants for research and offer families vital emotional and well-being support throughout their cancer journey," he added.