The white uniform of cricketers and their umpires and the traditional navy blazers gave way to a sea of red as England and Australia took to the pitch at Lord's on Thursday.
The bright red suits, caps, T-shirts and blazers, including fabric rosettes were all being worn as a mark of respect and to support a very special charity in cricketing circles. Many attendees also chose to wear red outfits to mark the occasion.
The change was in support of former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss and Durham University graduate whose wife Ruth McDonald died in December last year from a rare form of lung cancer. She was 46.
Andrew has set up the Ruth Strauss Foundation to support patients and their families and to fund research into rare lung cancers. He and the couple's sons, Sam and Luca, were on the pitch and collected the caps worn by the team, which will no doubt be auctioned off to raise funds.
The second day of the Specsavers Ashes Test is trending on social media as #RedforRuth. It was inspired by the former Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath who organised a similar event in memory of his wife Jane at Sydney Cricket Gound - when they all wore pink.
