Phil Simmons says he was racially abused when he was playing league cricket in England

West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has claimed that he was racially abused during the time he played league cricket in England. Simmons, currently the head coach of the touring West Indies who are currently in England for a three-match Test series did not specify in which English league he was racially targeted.

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 'I have encountered it in the leagues': Phil Simmons

"I encountered quite a bit (of racism) up in the leagues. In county cricket, I haven't really encountered that much. But I have encountered it in the leagues," he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo."It's not a nice thing to face. Especially in the leagues where you're by yourself sometimes. It affected my wife when I was up there. It's not a nice thing. I played in three or four different leagues. It was one particular league up in the northeast."

Racism has become a topic of global debate following the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the USA. Several cricketers, including West Indian stars like Chris Gayle and Darren Sammy, have opened up about their own experiences while voicing support to the 'Black Lives Matter' movement. Simmons said his team too would be showing its support to the movement when the three-Test series against England begins on July 8.

"We definitely are thinking about things that we can do to show our solidarity with the movement. We definitely have plans to show our unity and our backing to it. The chats with the English are on-going and by the end of this week we'll see what we can do together," Simmons added.

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West Indies tour of England 2020

Meanwhile, all the cricketing events have either been postponed or canceled since the month of March due to the global pandemic. The cricketing action will get underway when England and the West Indies lock horns in a three-match Test series starting from July 8. All the matches will be played behind closed doors. The Windies players have already reached England and have started training for the upcoming bilateral series. The first Test match will be played at the Rosebowl Cricket Ground (8-12 July) while the second and third Test matches will be played at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground (16-20 July), while the third and final Test will be played at the same venue as well (24-28 July).

(With PTI Inputs)

(Image Courtesy: AP)