As the cricketing world continues to debate over the recent allegations made by former West Indies captain Darren Sammy about the racist remarks that he faced while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise in the Indian Premier League, the current Windies captain Jason Holder also opened up on the same. While speaking in a recent interview prior to the upcoming series against England, Holder said that it would be foolish for him to say that racism does not exist in cricket.
“I would be foolish to sit here and say that racism is not prevalent in our sport. I have not followed all of what Sammy has said but in terms of racism in general it is definitely all around us. For me the only solution is finding unity and equality in all races,” ESPNCricinfo quoted Holder as saying.
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“I just want equality to excel, to get everyone on the same page. So we can have less fighting, less killing, less adversity in society. For me that is the main message I would like to contribute,” the allrounder added.
Holder was also asked if the West Indies team are planning to bend the knee during the Test series. In his response the skipper said: “As a group we have to sit down and have our discussions. I don’t want to speak out of context or on behalf of other players. We have different races within our group too. It is a sensitive time where we’ve got to be mindful of everything.”
{{/usCountry}}Holder was also asked if the West Indies team are planning to bend the knee during the Test series. In his response the skipper said: “As a group we have to sit down and have our discussions. I don’t want to speak out of context or on behalf of other players. We have different races within our group too. It is a sensitive time where we’ve got to be mindful of everything.”
{{/usCountry}}“[Racism] is a crime throughout the entire world and something that will probably be an ongoing discussion way past our lifetimes.
“I think the greater message that could be brought from the entire experience is unity. I think regardless of race, your kind, religion, this is a situation for all of us to unite as one.
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“What has happened recently around the world has impacted the world and the response from people around the world has been tremendous. At the end of the day, you must acknowledge it and protesting or standing up for what you believe is seen as noble and courageous and something I myself would never sit and disapprove of.
“For me, the greatest thing at the end of the day is unity. We must all come together, there must be equality across the world. It could be a massive ongoing debate but equality and unity is the main thing I would pick up from this,” he further said.
Holder went on to add that it is the perfect time for the world to educate themselves. “We had a brief discussion around it earlier and a lot of things around it come from education as well so I think it’s a perfect time for people to educate themselves about what goes on in other peoples’ experiences of the world.
“Only then can you have a better sense of what is going on around you. To be honest, a lot of people live and not know exactly what goes on around them and this is the perfect time to educate yourselves around it and make a change,” he said.