Since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the whole world is burning and is calling for an end to racism. The cricketers have also come out in the open and advocated for a discrimination-free world. In the wake of it, England ace fast bowler Jofra Archer has urged the athletes to speak up against racism wherever they face it.
Video footage showed a white police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes before he died on May 25. This triggered outrage and protests across the world to end racism for once and all. Cricketers including Darren Sammy, Chris Gayle, Jofra Archer have voiced their opinions on racism in cricket.
Racism is not okay: Jofra Archer
Recently, former West Indies skipper Sammy alleged that he faced racism while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Jofra Archer, who also faced racism during England’s tour of New Zealand, has urged the sportsperson to speak more about it to put an end to the culture.
“I’m very glad the Black Lives Matter campaign has got as vocal as this,” Archer, who received racially abuse by a fan during a Test against New Zealand in November last year, wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
“As an individual, I’ve always been one for speaking out, especially if something bothers you. My personal view is that you should never keep things bottled up, because racism is not okay,” he added.
Jofra Archer, who moved from Barbados to England, made his international debut last year. So far, he has played seven Tests and 14 ODIs and also played a significant role during England’s World Cup-winning campaign. Archer said England cricket team has also endorsed diversity and everyone leaving in the country has same rights.
“We all live in the country and if you are English, you have as much right to play as anyone else,” the 25-year-old added.
“There was a picture … of me, Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid hugging in celebration during the 2019 World Cup. It told you everything you need to know about our team,” he signed off.
