WBBL: Sydney Thunder to take knee throughout entire tournament
Oct 25, 2020
Sydney [Australia], October 25 : Sydney Thunder have confirmed that the side would be taking the knee throughout the entire Women's Big Bash (WBBL) to show their support towards the Black Lives Matter movement.
All teams have committed to perform the Indigenous Barefoot Circle ceremony ahead of matches during the tournament, but the decision to take the knee has been left to individual teams, ESPNCricinfo reported.
The Women's Big Bash League commenced today and the opening match between Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes saw both the teams taking the knee.
Sydney Thunder would have also taken the knee in their match against Sydney Sixers had their match not been washed out due to rain.
"It was a team decision. Obviously, there has been a little bit of talk leading up to it, in regards to what the competition could possibly do from a playing point of view. And it's a unique competition in that it's not just Australian players who play in it. We have players coming from all over the world with different experiences and obviously an opportunity for them to use their platform," ESPNCricinfo quoted Thunder captain Rachael Haynes as saying.
"When we realised and had a chat as a team that this was something people felt passionate about, we certainly wanted to have a united front. And to be honest, it was pretty unanimous in our group that it was a way we could show support not only in Australia but around the world," she added.
Prior to the tournament, England skipper Heather Knight had also pushed for the tournament to include taking the knee after her international side supported the Black Lives Matter during the series against West Indies.
"Playing against the West Indies, we wanted to make a gesture and to keep the conversations happening. Being treated differently perhaps hits a bit of a nerve as women cricketers, we've had to fight a bit to move towards equality - it's a similar strength that runs through the BLM movement," the Sydney Morning Herald had quoted Knight as saying.
