Michael Holding criticises England, Australia for not taking a knee

England took the knee to protest against racism during the Test series against West Indies, but opted not to continue the practice.

Commentator and former West Indies fast bowler, Michael Holding. - GETTY IMAGES

Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding has criticised England and Australia for not taking a knee in support of the “Black Lives Matter” movement during their ongoing limited-overs series.

England wore “Black Lives Matter” logos on their shirts during their Test series against West Indies and took the knee to protest against racism, but opted not to continue the practice in subsequent series against Pakistan and Australia.

“Now that the West Indies team has gone home, that doesn’t mean that you still shouldn’t be respecting the message and what it stands for,” Holding told Sky Sports .

“Yes, [racism] is more acute in the United States than in most other places but people around the entire world took on the mantle of spreading the word and getting this message out that it is time for equality and time for equal justice. It was no longer just a black versus white thing... so for Pakistan and England not to then take that signal... neither team did it and the ECB came out with a pretty lame statement, as far as I am concerned.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in response that it was committed to “long-term and sustainable change” and had launched “initiatives that focus on eliminating discrimination from all areas of cricket.”

‘Lame’ excuse

Before the current series began, Australia skipper Aaron Finch said his team would not take the knee because “education is more important than the protest.”

Holding disagreed with Finch, saying that raising awareness and education were both important tools in the fight for equality. “[Finch] is saying that he’s glad he is part of a sport where no one is barred from playing, irrespective of your race, your gender, your ethnicity, your religion,” Holding added.

“Well, I don’t know any sport where anyone is barred from playing because of anything at all. So that’s a pretty lame statement. I’m not here to try to force people to do what they do not want to do. If you think you do not need to sympathise with and recognise the movement, just say that. Don’t come up with lame excuses.”

Former West Indies skipper Daren Sammy has also spoken out in favour of equality, urging cricket’s governing bodies to treat racism more seriously and pay it the same attention they give to upholding the integrity of the game.