West Indies to wear 'Black Lives Matter' symbol on Test jerseys during England tour

West Indies cricket team will wear a 'Black Lives Matter' symbol on the collars of their jersey during the upcoming Test series against England starting from July 8. According to media reports, the logo used will be the one worn on the shirts of all 20 Premier League football clubs and it is designed by Alisha Hosannah, partner of  Watford FC footballer Troy Deeney.

'This is a pivotal moment in history'

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has given permission for the emblem to be worn on the teams' collars. Speaking about the movement, in his first press conference of the tour, skipper Jason Holder said, "We believe we have a duty to show solidarity and also to help raise awareness." 

"This is a pivotal moment in history for sports, for the game of cricket and for the West Indies cricket team. We have come to England to retain the Wisden Trophy but we are very conscious of happenings around the world and the fight for justice and equality," he said.

'We must deal with them equally'

Earlier, Jason Holder called for strict action against players found guilty of making racist comments, saying they should be penalised just like dope offenders and match-fixers. "I don't think the penalty for doping or corruption should be any different for racism," Holder told BBC Sport.

"If we've got issues within our sport, we must deal with them equally."

According to ICC rules, a player can be banned for life for on-pitch racist abuse if he breaches the anti-racism code three times. A first offence results in four to eight suspension points. Two suspension points equate to a ban for one Test or two one-day internationals or two T20 international matches.

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In international cricket, there have been instances where players have been penalised for racism. Last year, Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was the captain of the Pakistan team then, was banned for four matches after he made a racist remark at South Africa all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo.

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The death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the United States has triggered global outrage against racism in society. Many cricketers, including former West Indies captains Darren Sammy and Chris Gayle, have opened up about racist incidents that happened in their lives and also supported the Black Lives Matters campaign.

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The three-match Test series will restart international cricket which was shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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(with PTI inputs)