The International Cricket Council (ICC) has said it will take a “common-sense approach” to on-field protests over the killing of George Floyd after the resumption of cricket. Cricketers have joined other top sports stars in speaking out against racism and backing the Black Lives Matter campaign after the death of the 46-year-old African-American in police custody in Minneapolis.
Usually, ICC acted against players taking political stands. But it said in a statement: “The ICC stands against racism and is proud of the diversity of our sport. We support players using their platform to appropriately express their support for a more equitable society. We will exercise a common-sense approach to the implementation of regulations in relation to this issue and they will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the match officials.”
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Kneeling has become a symbolic way for showing support for the Black Lives Matter campaign, but West Indies skipper Jason Holder said his team will decide whether to take the knee when they start their three-Test tour in England in July or not.
England fast bowler Jofra Archer, who was racially abused by a fan during a Test against New Zealand in November, called on cricketers to take a stand in a recent column for the Daily Mail newspaper.
Archer wrote: “As an individual, I’ve always been one for speaking out, especially if something bothers you. My personal view is that you should never keep things bottled up, because racism is not okay.”
The ICC has traditionally taken a conservative line on political gestures. It forced former India captain, MS Dhoni to remove an army insignia from his wicketkeeping gloves at last year’s World Cup in England.
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England all-rounder Moeen Ali was banned from wearing wristbands featuring the slogans “Save Gaza” and “Free Palestine” in 2014.
