Why are England players wearing red caps at Lord’s on Day 2 of ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test?

England players are wearing red caps on Day 2 of the third Test against India at Lord’s on Friday, July 11. The gesture is aimed at the Ruth Strauss Foundation, a tribute to former England cricketer Andrew Strauss's wife Ruth, who died of a rare lung disease in 2018. She was an actress from Australia but later became a business executive.

The foundation supports families facing the death of a parent, driving the need for more research into non-smoking lung cancers. The red cap by English players and the crowd supports the charity on Day 2 of the Lord’s Test every year since its inception during the 2019 Ashes.

Andrew established the Ruth Strauss Foundation with the guidance of legendary Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath, who founded the McGrath Foundation to support breast cancer research in Australia. Like Andrew Strauss, McGrath’s wife Jane died from complications following cancer surgery in 2008.

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"There’s going to be some amazing cricket played and some great fundraising as well" - Former England player Andrew Strauss urges crowd to come out in large numbers for Ruth Strauss Foundation

While speaking about the special cause, former England batter Andrew Strauss urged the crowd to come in large numbers to help support the Ruth Strauss Foundation. The 48-year-old told Sky Sports:

"It is an amazing platform that we have here today. Lord’s resplendent in sunshine. Hopefully, turning red and obviously, the opportunity for us to talk about what we do at the Ruth Strauss Foundation. Providing support for families where there’s a parent who has a terminal cancer diagnosis, and then obviously raise so much needed funds alongside that as well.

"So, hopefully, it’s going to look pretty pictures here today. There’s going to be some amazing cricket played and some great fundraising as well."

The former Director of Cricket of the ECB continued:

"I just think for the families themselves to know that there are others going through the same thing. There’s a community there and there’s a support network behind them, and that their experiences and their stories are going to help other families that are going to go through something similar themselves.

"So, you know, we are trying to build this community, this sort of coalition of the willing that are all there to help understand just how tough that journey is, but also how important it is to have that holding hand. I suppose, that support network to enable you to have those tough conversations to kids, to provide support while you’re going through this and also, I suppose to offer hope that there is, you know, brightness on the other side as well. And I suppose myself and my boys are living testament to that," he concluded

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