England and West Indies will take the knee for 30 seconds before first Test of the summer on Wednesday to show support for Black Lives Matter
- England and West Indies will take the knee for 30 seconds before the first Test
- The symbolic gesture will show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement
- Ben Stokes confirmed England planned to support change by making a ‘gesture’
- First Test will take place behind closed doors at the Ageas Bowl on Wednesday
England and the West Indies will take the knee for 30 seconds before the first Test of their series on Wednesday to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The two teams will sport the campaign’s logo on their shirt for the matches and, after discussions over how to further support the fight against racism, will now adopt the symbolic gesture at the Ageas Bowl.
Ben Stokes, the stand-in skipper for the hosts, confirmed that England planned to make a ‘gesture’ in a similar vein to the wider sporting world.
England and West Indies will take the knee before the first Test of their series on Wednesday
He had declined to say whether the team would take the knee, however, although both nations will now follow the example set by Premier League clubs.
The International Cricket Council have previously discouraged making political symbols or statements during games – but believes that protesting against discrimination doesn’t fall into those categories.
Neither team will be punished for the gesture, or for wearing the campaign’s logo on their whites.
The two teams will also sport the Black Lives Matter movement’s logo on their cricket whites
The ECB are insistent that the use of the symbol, which was designed by Alisha Hosannah, is not aimed at ‘politicising’ the movement. Instead, they have stressed the purpose is to endorse ‘progress and societal change’.
The talks over the show of solidarity were held between Joe Root, Stokes and West Indies captain Jason Holder.
Before the news surfaced, Stokes had said: ‘There is going to be a gesture shown from us as a team in support of Black Lives Matter towards the equality in society throughout cricket and throughout sport.
‘We aren’t in any way, shape or form showing support towards any political matters on the movement. We are all about the equality through society and sport.
England’s cricketers, led by skipper Ben Stokes (left) will also wear the BLM logo on their shirts
England take on the West Indies in the first Test of the series on Wednesday at the Ageas Bowl
‘Without the diversity that we have shown as a team over however many years, and the equality that needs to be given, we might not be World Cup champions, we might not be one of the best Test teams in the world. We have a great chance to send a real powerful message and to educate people more on the matter.
‘Not only has this been a period for us getting ready for a Test match it has also been great for us to have some educational chats as a team around this which has been really beneficial for a lot of our members. Mark Saxby, our masseuse, has been at the forefront of that and he’s done an absolutely brilliant job.
‘I feel as a team that we have an opportunity to send a real powerful message and I am really excited as an individual and the team is really excited that we are able to be a part of that.’
Stokes will become England’s 81st Test captain after standing in for Root, but the usual skipper is expected to return at Old Trafford next week after the birth of his second child.