Cricket West Indies (CWI) said on Monday (29) their players will wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ logos on the collar of their shirts throughout their three-test series in England next month.
Premier League clubs have been wearing the logo since the season’s restart as a tribute to protests against racial injustice following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.
West Indies have been allowed to use the same emblem designed by Watford captain Troy Deeney’s partner Alisha Hosannah, the CWI said in a statement.
“We believe we have a duty to show solidarity and also to help raise awareness,” said West Indies skipper Jason Holder.
“This is a pivotal moment in history for sports, for the game of cricket and for the West Indies cricket team.
“We have come to England to retain the Wisden Trophy but we are very conscious of happenings around the world and the fight for justice and equality.”
Deeney said it was an “amazing decision” by the West Indies team.
“When I got the call, I didn’t hesitate to respond, because I know as sportspersons in the spotlight, how important our efforts are to bring about change and the role we play in move towards change in our society,” said the 32-year-old.
“… it’s great to be able to help West Indies cricket show their support in such a meaningful way.”
Notably, Holder said on Sunday that racism should be treated as seriously as doping and match-fixing.
“I don’t think the penalty for doping or corruption should be any different for racism,” the 28-year-old told BBC Sport.
“If we’ve got issues within our sport, we must deal with them equally.”
Under the anti-racism code of the governing International Cricket Council, 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.
Holder added that teams should be briefed about race issues before the start of any series.
“In addition to having anti-doping briefings and anti-corruption briefings, maybe we should have an anti-racism feature before we start a series,” the all-rounder said.
“My message is more education needs to go around it.”
England will consider a joint anti-racism protest with West Indies during the three-test series between the sides next month.
