The Ashes 2023: Red for Ruth day explained as England wear red on Day 2 of second Test

England cricket stars will wear red on the second day of the Ashes test at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Thursday.

Red for Ruth day will sweep the ground as England look to claw back a foothold in the second Test against Australia.

The charity day was created by former England star Andrew Strauss and this is all you need to know about Red for Ruth day.

Who is Ruth Strauss?

Ruth Strauss, formerly McDonald, was the wife of former England cricket batter and captain Sir Andrew Strauss. The South Africa-born star was a mainstay in the national cricket set-up for almost a decade in the late noughties and has been working as a pundit during this Ashes series.

Strauss retired from cricket after making his 100th Test appearance in 2012 and, as a thank you for his service, teammates bought the star 100 bottles of wine.

Strauss and his wife Ruth had two children together in Sam and Luca. Tragically, Ruth died in 2018 from a rare form of non-smoking lung cancer at the age of 46.

Since her passing, Strauss began the Ruth Strauss Foundation to raise money for families who had suffered loss due to non-smoking lung cancers and to contribute funds for research into the illness.

What is Red for Ruth day?

Red for Ruth day came about inspired by a similar initiative set up by Australian cricket hero Glenn McGrath.

McGrath lost his wife Jane due to breast cancer and Andrew Strauss turned to his former rival for support after losing Ruth.

Jane McGrath Day takes place on Day 3 of a named Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground when the stumps and players’ caps are coloured pink. Fans also get behind the day and wear pink clothing.

Strauss played one of these events himself and went on to secure Day 2 of the Lord’s Test as a similar event for Ruth ahead of the 2019 Ashes.

In the UK, more than 23,600 parents with dependant children die each year, leaving over 40,000 bereaved children.

This Test Day looks to help support those grieving families as well as raising awareness of the need for more research. Proceeds for an annual auction go to the Ruth Strauss Foundation and last year’s auction prizes included a VIP visit to see the Red Arrows as well as a nine-night trip to Barbados with the Barmy Army.

When is Red for Ruth day? 

Red for Ruth Day is on Thursday, June 29 2023 at Lord’s Cricket Ground during the second day of England v Australia in the second Test match.

Play resumes at 11 am BST and is available to watch on Sky Sports and NowTV.

What is worn on Red for Ruth day? 

England cricket stars will wear red caps on Red for Ruth day while the stumps also turn red. Spectators at Lord’s are also encouraged to support the initiative and wear red.

Speaking ahead of Thursday, Strauss said: “We’ve still got a long way to go. The more we do, the more we need to do and the broader our reach needs to be.

“Hopefully an Ashes Test match is a time where people who aren’t always watching cricket are suddenly tuning in. We understand the opportunity we have in front of us in the next few days.

“We’re excited about having the platform to show that and we’re incredibly lucky to have so much support from the cricket community. But we know people are going through this from all walks of life, some of whom having never heard of cricket or the Ruth Strauss Foundation.

“We’re here to help as many people as possible. We’ve helped hundreds of families and directly trained up hundreds of nurses, but we feel the reach is expanding all the time.”

To find out more on Red for Ruth and how to donate, visit the Ruth Strauss Foundation website.