Would be foolish of me to say racism doesn't exist in cricket, says Jason Holder
Jun 11, 2020
Manchester [UK], June 11 : West Indies Test skipper Jason Holder has said that it would be foolish of him to say that racism does not exist in cricket.
His remarks come as former Windies T20 World Cup-winning skipper Darren Sammy alleged racism within the SunRisers Hyderabad camp during the 2014 Indian Premier League (IPL).
"I would be foolish to sit here and say that racism is not prevalent in our sport. I have not followed all of what Sammy has said but in terms of racism in general it is definitely all around us. For me the only solution is finding unity and equality in all races," ESPNCricinfo quoted Holder as saying.
"I just want equality to excel, to get everyone on the same page. So we can have less fighting, less killing, less adversity in society. For me that is the main message I would like to contribute," he added.
Holder also said that the entire Windies camp will have a discussion before deciding to take the knee in order to show solidarity with the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.
"As a group we have to sit down and have our discussions. I don't want to speak out of context or on behalf of other players. We have different races within our group too. It is a sensitive time where we've got to be mindful of everything," Holder said.
"Racism is a crime throughout the entire world and something that will probably be an ongoing discussion way past our lifetimes. I think the greater message that could be brought from the entire experience is unity. I think regardless of race, your kind, religion, this is a situation for all of us to unite as one," he added.
Earlier this week, Sammy had said that the racial slurs were used by some of his SunRisers teammates during the 2014 IPL.
The all-rounder released a video, saying that he wants answers from all those people as to why they used to call him with one particular objectionable word.
Opening batsman Chris Gayle has also revealed that he too has been a victim of racism, and added that the racism is just not restricted to football as it is a part of cricket as well.
'Black Lives Matter' movement has gained steam after an African-American man named George Floyd passed away after having a knee pressed into his neck by a police officer identified as Derek Chauvin.
Ever since the demise of Floyd, protests erupted from the demonstrations in cities from San Francisco to Boston.
