He Is Saddam: Nasser Hussain Opens Up On The Racism That He Suffered During His Playing Days

Nasser Hussain, the former England captain-turned commentator, has opened up about his experiences of having faced racism during his time as an English cricketer.

Cricket finally returned after a 116-day hiatus but a delay in the start of the proceedings due to inclement weather conditions presented an opportunity to the likes of former West Indian legend Michael Holding, former England women cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent and Nasser Hussain to voice their experiences of racism in cricket.

Racism has become a point of debate around the entire world after the unfortunate killing of African-American George Floyd in the United States of America [USA]. The ‘Black Lives Matter’ emblem has been sported by both English and West Indian teams. The cricketers also offered a knee before the start of the Test match.

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Also Read- Roland Butcher Reckons Cricket Hasn’t Really Done Anything To Counter Racism

‘We’ve all been looking away for too long’- Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain, who is a Chennai-born Englishman, opened up about the racial slurs he experienced during his growing up days in South Sussex and East London. He also added how he used to be mocked because of his surname ‘Hussain’, with people likening him to former Iraq dictator Saddam Hussain.

“Of course, I have [experienced racism] with my surname growing up in South Sussex, East London with an Indian dad and an English mum. Getting little bit from both sides. Fielding on the boundary in various parts of the world and people saying, ‘he is Saddam, why don’t you go back to where you came from?’ That’s small stuff compared to Michael and Ebony,’ Nasser Hussain reminisced.

Earlier, Michael Holding and Ebony Rainford-Brent, along with Nasser Hussain called for an end to the institutionalized racism through a fundamental change in society and better education.

Also Read- Darren Sammy Calls For Spreading Anti-Racism Awareness Among Young Cricketers

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