Former West Indies Captains Darren Sammy And Chris Gayle Said They Had Suffered Racial Violence Earlier This Month And Were Throwing Their Weight Behind The Black Lives Matters Movement:
After prominent West Indies cricketers Darren Sammy, Chris Gayle, and Dwayne Bravo opened up about racism in cricket, current West Indies captain Jason Holder, who had more or less remained tight-lipped so far, has come down heavily on racism now. Holder said prejudice should not be viewed as less than bribery or match-fixing.
“I don’t think the bribery or corruption penalty needs to be any different for racism,” Holder told a leading sports website. “When we have issues in our sport, we have to tackle them equally.” Under the anti-racism code of the governing International Cricket Council (ICC), a third breach of the code by a player could lead to a life ban.
The sanction for a first offence by a player can be up to a ban for four tests or eight limited-overs matches. Then, last year, Pakistan ‘s captain Sarfaraz Ahmad was slapped with a four-match suspension for a derogatory comment targeting all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo from South Africa.
Holder said teams should be briefed about race issues before the start of any series. “Perhaps we should have an anti-racism element in addition to anti-doping briefings and anti-corruption briefings before we launch a show,” the all-rounder said.
“My point is that there needs to be further awareness about it. “I haven’t witnessed any first-hand racial discrimination but have read or seen a lot of things about it. This is something that you absolutely can’t afford for. During next month’s tri-test series between the sides, England will suggest a joint anti-racism demonstration with West Indies.
Meanwhile, after a break of nearly four months, West Indies will take on England on July 8 in what will mark the start of international cricket.
