"It’s going to be an emotional day" - Andrew Strauss looks ahead to 'Red for Ruth' occasion at Lord's

England and Australia’s players will wear red, custom-made caps for the occasion and supporters are being encouraged to don the same colour in the stands to raise awareness of and money for the Ruth Strauss Foundation

Former England captain Andrew Strauss expects an emotional occasion as Lord’s turns red on Thursday in aid of the charity set up in his wife’s memory.

England and Australia’s players will wear red, custom-made caps for the occasion and supporters are being encouraged to don the same colour in the stands to raise awareness of and money for the Ruth Strauss Foundation.

Ruth Strauss died last year at the age of 46 after being diagnosed with an inoperable form of lung cancer. The charity established in her name aims to fund research into similar diseases as well as providing care for patients and their families. 

And the ‘Red for Ruth’ day at Lord’s is the Foundation’s biggest initiative yet.

“On a personal level, it’s going to be an emotional day for me and the kids,” said Strauss, who will be at the game with sons Sam and Luca.

“It’s going to be great for the kids to be here and sample and savour it and get a feeling of how much support there is for the foundation, and the people who want to pay testament to Ruth as well. That’s going to be special but it’s going to be emotional as well.”

Ticket-holders have been contacted in advance by the MCC to ask them to wear red, while an auction and raffle will take place to raise further funds on the day. 

“There’s been a lot of talk about this happening and a lot of imagining what it will look like and now we’re on the cusp of it actually happening tomorrow,” Strauss said.

“I’m excited about it, I think there’s a lot of anticipation about what’s in store for us and what the foundation might get off the back of it and how we might be able to change people’s lives as a result.”

Strauss has sought advice from Glenn McGrath in the organisation of the day. McGrath, the former Australian seamer, lost his wife Jane to cancer in 2008 and subsequently launched the Pink Test at Sydney, which has raised millions of dollars for charity.

“I sat down and did a piece with him last week, and I really enjoyed speaking to him about his experiences,” Strauss said. 

“We’ll keep in contact, I’m sure there are things we can do together in the future.”

While monies raised by the Ruth Strauss Foundation have yet to be redistributed, Strauss said that research has been done to establish how best the funds can be used.

“Everything we get we’ll be grateful for and we’ll try to make sure it goes as far as possible,” he said.

“We’re very conscious that with every pound raised, as much of it as possible goes to a good cause.”

To support the Ruth Strauss Foundation, Eoin Morgan has donated his match-worn World Cup final shirt, signed by the entire winning team. You can bid to own the shirt Eoin wore when he lifted the World Cup at Lord’s in a truly unforgettable final. Visit ruthstraussfoundation.com to bid.

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