Who was Ruth Strauss, how long was she married to English cricketer Andrew and why do fans wear red to Lords? – The US sun

ANDREW STRAUSS is one of the legends of English cricket and a former Executive Director of the ECB.

But the former England captain had to deal with tragedy back in 2018 when his wife Ruth passed away after a battle with cancer.

4

Who was Ruth Strauss?

Ruth McDonald is best known for being the wife of former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss.

But she was also an actress from Australia before becoming CEO.

Sadly, she passed away on December 29, 2018 at the age of 46 from a rare form of lung cancer.

In her memory, Andrew established the Ruth Strauss Foundation to fund lung cancer research and support patients and their families.

When did she marry Andrew Strauss?

The pair met after Andrew Strauss played in Australia during his early career in Sydney and Adelaide.

They married in October 2003 and had two sons together – Sam (2005) and Luca (2008).

Andrew became director of England Cricket in May 2015 after retiring from the game three years earlier.

But he quit two months before Ruth’s death to spend more time with her while she went through cancer treatment.

4

4

Why did Andrew Strauss wear red at Lord’s?

After consulting former Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath after Ruth’s death, Strauss established the Ruth Strauss Foundation.

It aims to support patients and families and to fund research for rare types of lung cancer.

McGrath is also a widow, having lost his wife Jane in 2008 – founding the McGrath Foundation while she was undergoing treatment.

4

Since 2007, the third day of the first Test at Sydney Cricket Ground has been referred to as Jane McGrath Day, when many dress in pink.

Andrew Strauss wanted to reiterate this by making the second day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground Ruth Strauss Foundation Day, with many wearing red in aid of the charity.

Players from both teams wore commemorative shirts bearing the foundation’s logo, while also sporting red caps and red numbers – as £382,462 was raised that day.

Players then wore red again during England’s three Test series with the West Indies in summer 2020.

The tradition continued during the England v India and England v South Africa Test series in 2021 and 2022 respectively.