News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. June 19, 2020: West Indies cricket captain Jason Holder says the team will be showing their support for the #BLM movement in their first test match on July 8th in England. What he did not reveal was how.
Holder, appearing on at the show Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, was about the ongoing worldwide protest against racism following the death of George Floyd in the United States.
He responded: “The West Indies team is firmly behind the ”Black Lives Matter” movement. As a team we will show our solidarity to the movement. We had few discussions and come July 8th, we will show our support.”
But Holder stopped short of revealing exactly how. Will they all take a knee?, will they wear #BlackLivesMatter slogans pinned to their shirts? How? That we don’t know. So, or now fans will have to wait and see.
What Holder did say, however, is that he feels the current movement presents “… a perfect opportunity to affect change.”
“One of the things that stands out if unity. We need to unite and come together as one,” he added.
Interestingly, the International Cricket Council, which usually does not allow gestures supporting “political, religious or racial activities,” has decided to take a “common sense approach” for any potential Black Lives Matter protest by the players.
The West Indies squad arrived in Manchester last week and have started training at the Old Trafford ground where they will be based and will live, train and play in a “bio-secure” environment during the seven weeks of the tour, as part of the comprehensive medical and operations plans to ensure player and staff safety.
The three-Test series in England will mark the resumption of international cricket, sans a crowd, after it was suspended in March due to coronavirus pandemic.
The first Test is slated to be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton from July 8-12th. The second and third matches will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 16-20th and then July 24-28th.
