West Indies cricketers to continue taking knee during test series against Australia
The West Indies team will continue to take a knee during the upcoming two-match Test series in Australia, to be held in Perth and Adelaide. The players will also continue to wear the Black Lives Matter logo on their playing shirts.
As per the official website of the West Indies, taking a knee before the start of a match was done during their two-match T20I series against Australia in October ahead of the matches in the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
West Indies first took a knee back in July 2020 when they toured England for a Test series and have continued to do so since as it demonstrates full support for the fight against racism, inequality and injustice.
Additionally, the West Indies will join the Australians in observing the barefoot circle on the opening morning of the first Test. The barefoot circle is a cricket centric way for players and teams to take a moment prior to matches to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land, connect to each other as opponents and pay respect to the country (land).
It has also been reported that the Australia team will also join the West Indies in taking the knee, making it a first instance of them doing so on home soil. Australia had taken the knee in their limited-overs tour of the West Indies last year and in their victorious T20 World Cup triumph in the UAE.
The logo on the West Indies shirt, which will be used in Tests against Australia, was designed back in 2020 by Alisha Hosannah, the partner of Troy Deeney, a professional footballer in the English Premier League.
He was contacted by Cricket West Indies (CWI) and permission was granted for the logo to be displayed on the collar according to ICC regulations. The logo has a clenched fist in place of the letter “A” in the word “Black”.
West Indies will play the first Test against Australia at the Perth Stadium from November 30 to December 4. The second Test will be at the Adelaide Oval from December 8 to 12, which will be a day/night fixture with a pink ball to be used.
The second Test in Adelaide will be the first pink-ball Test for the West Indies in Australia. The two teams will compete for the prestigious Sir Frank Worrell Trophy.
Press Release, Source: IANS
