I Do Think They Are Keen On Doing Something As A Team: Ashley Giles On England Taking The Knee In Support Of Black Lives Matter Movement
Updated - 28 May 2021, 12:33 AM
England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) director Ashley Giles has said that the England team cricketers are keen on renewing their support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement this summer. This comes after they had shelved their commitment of taking the knee to support the BLM movement last year.
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in the United States, England kicked off their 2020 season by joining the West Indies in performing the symbolic gesture ahead of all the three Tests between the sides and the subsequent women’s series, which marked the return of cricket after been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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England continued the practice while playing against Ireland, but the practice was stopped after visits of Pakistan and Australia. And this drew sharp criticism from former West Indies pace bowler Michael Holding, who now resides in the UK. He had given a tearful and heart-rendering speech on racism in July last year.
I Think There Is An Intention For Them To Do Something: Ashley Giles
Michael Holding a West Indies fast bowling legend called the England team’s revered stance “pretty lame” and built on “flimsy excuses” and this week told the Sky Cricket Show he would be “bruising my knee until I go into my grave” was he still playing.
And it has seemed to strike a nerve amongst the England men’s team and Ashley Giles has hinted that the issue may be publicly addressed when they face New Zealand at Lord’s in the first of the two Tests in series.
“I think there is an intention for them to do something. This is something I know the team have talked about a lot and I have with certain members of the team and management. Like all of us, they feel very strongly about all discrimination, whatever that is, there is a list as long as our arm of the different types,” Giles said.
“If it was an individual statement of some sort, we’d support that, they are adults. But I do think they are keen on doing something as a team,” he added.
Taking the knee has become a great symbol amongst the sporting teams around the world to show their support to the BLM Movement in its fight against racism.
