England have locked horns with Pakistan for the T20 World Cup 2022 title at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia. England cricketers have donned black armbands in the match. This is because of the death of David English, also known as the ‘Godfather of English cricket’. He died at the age of 75, due to a heart attack.

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He was best known for the Bunbury Schools Festival, which enabled more than 1000 first-class cricket players, including more than 125 international players, to advance their careers. In the English team that won the 2019 ODI World Cup, there were 10 ten players who had attended the Bunbury Festival as youngsters.

Many English personalities took to Twitter to pay respect to the man. Leading the tributes was England skipper Jos Buttler, who posted: “So sad to hear the news of David English passing away. One of life’s great characters, so fun to spend time with and producer of some of the best English cricketers through his wonderful Bunbury Festivals. RIP.”

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English, who was awarded a CBE in 2010 for his contributions to cricket and philanthropy, worked at Lord’s Stadium as well as played for Marleybone Cricket Club. However, it was his foundation of the Bunbury Cricket Club and his backing for the festival that cemented his status as a cultural legend.

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The club raised £14 million for charitable organisations, and English-funded festival had its inaugural event in 1987. The competition featured England Schools Under-15s teams and featured players like Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff, and Joe Root.