During their match against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022 final on November 13, England players were spotted wearing black armbands. This is a tribute to David English, who died at the age of 76. David English, the legendary “Godfather of English Cricket,” died after suffering a heart attack.

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David English was also a producer and actor, but he is best recognized for his involvement in England cricket. David founded the Bunbury Festival, an annual cricket tournament for players aged 15 and under.

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What is Bunbury Festival? 

An annual cricket competition for England’s top under-15 boys players is called the Bunbury Festival, also known as the ECB David English Bunbury Festival. The competition was started to replace the England Schools Under-15s Festival.

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With the tournament facing cancellation due to a lack of funds, David English, a former manager of the Bee Gees and Eric Clapton, agreed to finance it on the condition that it be named after his Bunbury Tales children’s books. The festival has aided in the development of 1,000 first-class cricketers in England, including 125 international players.

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The Bunbury school festivals have helped more than 1500 first-class cricketers, including 125 men’s international cricketers from the nation and Jos Buttler is one of the many England cricketers who have benefited from them. The Bunbury Cricket Club has also benefited players like Joe Root and Ben Stokes.

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The English Schools Cricket Association continues to serve as the festival’s management organization. It was first held in 1987. In 2018, the England and Wales Cricket Board took over management of the competition, renaming it to reflect the name of its founder. In addition, the organization served as the start of the ECB’s Player Pathway to the England cricket team.

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The four squads in the current format are London & East, South & West, Midlands, and North, and they are made up of 56 players. The teams take part in Twenty20 and 50-over matches. The tournament’s cricketers had gone on to play for England, including national team captains Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff, and Joe Root, and ten of the eleven England players in the 2019 Cricket World Cup final had played in the tournament.