Movement around black lives created extra motivation for WI, feels Sammy

London, July 13 (IANS) The Black Lives Matter movement provided extra motivation to the West Indies players as they pulled off a gutsy win over England in the first Test at Southampton on Sunday, feels former West Indies captain Darren Sammy.

The Windies gunned down England’s target of 200 at The Ageas Bowl, winning by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match #raisethebat series.

“When you have a movement for black lives, and you have a black team come to England — with everything that’s going on — that creates extra motivation,” Sammy said on the latest episode of The Cricket Debate as quoted by Sky Sports.

“And the decision to come over to England and play — there is something special about playing in England that sees West Indians want to rise, and get extra motivated.

“The whole scenario of this Test match, the significance of cricket being back, what it meant to see a black team on TV after this time where sport has not been played, that provided extra motivation for the West Indies,” said the 36-year old all-rounder.

Sammy recently slammed former South African cricketers for criticising fast bowler Lungi Ngidi’s stance on the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. Sammy said that the criticism shows why it is important to speak up on racism.

“The fact that some past players have an issue with Lungi Ngidi stance on #blacklivesmatter movement is actually the reason why we are still here today saying black lives matter. Smfh #standupbrother we here with u (sic),” he tweeted.

Ngidi had said that South African players should take a stand on the BLM movement, especially considering the history of segregation in the country.

The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement has intensified across the world following the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police personnel in the US in May.

–IANS

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