History as 'God Save the King' is Sung During England vs South Africa Test Cricket Match

History as 'God Save the King' is Sung During England vs South Africa Test Cricket Match

Keba Mothoagae
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:11 PM
  • Saturday, 10 September 2022 will be forever remembered as a special moment in sports history
  • 'God Save The King' was sung as England's national anthem at a sports event for the first time since 1952
  • The Three Lions were about to take on South Africa's Proteas at The Oval Cricket Ground in London

Today, the 10th of September 2022 is a monumental day in sports history.

The crowd as well as England's men's senior national cricket team belted out a passionate and moving rendition of 'God Save The King' during the national anthems ahead of the third Test match against South Africa at The Oval. The anthem was led by soprano Laura Wright, who is a regular when England plays rugby Tests at Twickenham.

god save the king, laura wright, king charles iii, queen elizabeth ii, england, south africa, the oval, test, cricket, proteas, three lions, london
Laura Wright and the English cricket team sing 'God Save The King'. Image source: Getty Images.
Source: Getty Images

This was the first time an English sports team had sung this version since the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday as well as the ascension of her son King Charles III to the throne. Unless otherwise stated elsewhere, this would be the first time it has been sung at a sports event involving England since 1952 before the death of King George VI.

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The match has been delayed by two days, first because of rain on Day 1 as well as out of mourning and respect for Her Majesty on Day 2, yesterday.

With the series finely poised at 1-1, England and South Africa now have days three, four and five to try to force a series win.

Queen Elizabeth II: How former Arsenal Star Emmanuel Eboue made her Majesty laugh at Buckingham Palace

It was a poorly kept secret that Queen Elizabeth II had a soft spot for Premier League side Arsenal.

Whether she actually supported them will never be known as there were other rumours of her being a West Ham United supporter. The Queen passed on on September 8th, 2022, at the Balmoral Castle, marking the end of the longest-serving Monarchs in history.

Queen Elizabeth has been eulogized as a true trailblazer of what the democracy of the United Kingdom embodies. Former player turned pundit Garry Lineker hailed her as a remarkable woman.

Apart from her political and royal duties, the Queen also set time aside to get involved in other activities like sports. She was at hand to present England's World Cup trophy in 1966. She similarly hosted Arsenal at Buckingham Palace in 2007.

During this visit, Emmanuel Eboue, a former Arsenal midfielder, made the Queen laugh when he asked her if he could quit his job as a professional footballer to take care of the Queen's dogs.

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Keba Mothoagae
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