Southampton, July 9 (IANS) England’s first Test against the West Indies at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton has gone into its second day and both days, the proceedings started with both teams taking a knee and paying tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement.
On the first day, support staff of both sides also kneeled outside the boundary line. England batting coach Graham Thorpe said that there had been discussions within the team on how to show solidarity with the West Indies.
“It was an important move to show solidarity with the West Indies team. We had a few team chats for a couple of days,” Thorpe told reporters after Day 1. “We chatted a bit about how we could have an impact on society. There’s no room for racism in our sport. We thought it should start from the England team. We are very proud of it.”
English football’s top flight Premier League and lower tiers who have restarted competitions have also featured players taking a knee with a few with their fists raised with black gloves in the first minute of the match to show support for the movement.
While the first day was largely lost to rain, there have been no interruptions on Day 2. West Indies have been on top for most of the match.
–IANS
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