When the West Indies arrived in England for a three-Test series, it was in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic and also the inflammable Black Lives Matter movement that begun due to the death of George Floyd. During the Southampton Test, both West Indies and England players knelt in support of Black Lives Matter, with the Windies dressing room drapped with the message and the side sporting the BLM logo on their jerseys. However, in the subsequent series between Pakistan and Australia, neither England or the opposing teams have knelt or done anything symbolic for Black Lives Matter.
This has earned the sides the wrath of Michael Holding, the former West Indies pacer who spoke passionately about Black Lives Matter and broke down about the racism that he faced. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in response that it was committed to "long-term and sustainable change" and had launched "initiatives that focus on eliminating discrimination from all areas of cricket." Holding said the statement issued looked lame.
“Now that the West Indies team has gone home, that doesn`t mean that you still shouldn`t be respecting the message and what it stands for. Yes, (racism) is more acute in the United States than in most other places but people around the entire world took on the mantle of spreading the word and getting this message out that it is time for equality and time for equal justice. It was no longer just a black versus white thing... so for Pakistan and England not to then take that signal... neither team did it and the ECB came out with a pretty lame statement, as far as I am concerned,” Holding said.
Disagrees with Australia skipper
Aaron Finch, before the start of the limited-overs series, had said they will not be taking the knee in support of Black Lives Matter as he believed education was more important than protest. Holding disagreed with that aspect saying that raising awareness and education were both important tools in the fight for equality.
"(Finch) is saying that he’s glad he is part of a sport where no one is barred from playing, irrespective of your race, your gender, your ethnicity, your religion. Well, I don’t know any sport where anyone is barred from playing because of anything at all. So, that’s a pretty lame statement. I’m not here to try to force people to do what they do not want to do. If you think you do not need to sympathise with and recognise the movement, just say that. Don’t come up with lame excuses,” Holding said.
