The International Cricket Council on Friday took a stand against racism through the 2019 men’s ODI World Cup final, which was won by England.
In the wake of unarmed black man George Floyd’s death in the United States, there have been widespread protests in several parts of the world condemning the act of police brutality. Cricketers have also expressed solidarity with the movement, with West Indies stars Chis Gayle and Darren Sammy joining in. The two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain even urged the ICC to speak up against racism through a series of tweets.
England’s thrilling win against New Zealand after a Super Over emerged as a symbol of multiculturalism last year. They were led by an Irish-born captain in Eoin Morgan and had two players of Asian descent in Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali.
Also read: How sportspersons have reacted to George Floyd’s death
The two biggest stars for England through their first-ever World Cup crown were New Zealand-born all-rounder Ben Stokes and Barbados-born Jofra Archer, who also bowled the Super Over to defend 16 runs. England were decided winners on a boundary-count rule, which has been scrapped by the ICC following the aftermath of the final.
In the video posted by ICC on Friday, there are several shots of fans, whose nervousness turns into ecstasy after Martin Guptill is run-out in the final ball of the match. There were Blacks, Asians and Whites rooting for the same team with ICC captioning the video with the words: “Without diversity, cricket is nothing. Without diversity, you don’t get the full picture.”
Watch the full video here:
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!