South Africa vs Sri Lanka 1st Test: Hosts show Black Lives Matter gesture on Boxing Day

The South Africa vs Sri Lanka 1st Test went underway on Saturday, December 26 at Centurion Park. Prior to the match, South African head coach Mark Boucher confirmed that his team will be extending their support towards the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Earlier this month, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and West Indies Test captain Jason Holder led their respective teams as they took a knee at Seddon Park for the movement.

Kane Williamson, Jason Holder bow down to Black Lives Matter

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South Africa vs Sri Lanka 1st Test: South Africa make anti-racism gesture

The Quinton de Kock-led South African unit showed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement just moments before the opening over of the match. The 11 South African players were seen lifting their fists after they took the field. They have now joined the likes of England, New Zealand and West Indies as advocators of the movement.

Interestingly, South Africa’s support for the movement came a week after Cricket South Africa (CSA) criticised their players for their lack of interest. However, the board also emphasised that they will not be enforcing any player to join the anti-racism movement.

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While speaking with ESPNCricinfo, Mark Boucher said that the team appreciates the board not interfering or influencing players into “doing anything one way or the other”. Boucher later claimed that the players are “happy to engage further” and would like to discuss with the board about the same at a “more appropriate time”.

South Africa vs Sri Lanka 1st Test live updates

At the time of publishing, the Sri Lankan team raced to 102-3 after 25 overs at Lunch. Despite losing their top three batsmen for just 54 runs on the board, the visitors continue to maintain a rapid run-rate of 4.50. Among the bowlers, South African speed trio of Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Wiaan Mulder accounted for a wicket each.

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SA vs SL live streaming details for Indian audience

Fans can catch SA vs SL live streaming in India on the Star Sports Network. The live streaming of the matches will also be made available on the Disney+ Hotstar app. For SA vs SL live scores, one can keep tabs on the social media accounts of the two cricket board, i.e. Cricket South Africa and Sri Lanka Cricket.

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Image source: CSA Twitter