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- England cricketers will not kneel in support of Black Lives Matter against the Proteas on Friday.
- South Africans are also unlikely to kneel.
- Both sides will wear black armbands in support of those affected by gender-based violence and the coronavirus.
England will not kneel in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in the first T20 against the Proteas in Newlands on Friday.
The issue has gained momentum in South Africa again this week with the Proteas set to play for the first time in nine months since the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a global lockdown in March.
Head coach Mark Boucher suggested Monday that the Proteas would also not kneel on Friday, but would wear black armbands to oppose gender-based violence and in support of those affected by the coronavirus.
Boucher said the decision was made as a result of a team discussion and, on Wednesday, a spokesman for the England team confirmed to Sport24 that visitors wouldn’t kneel either.
“We will not kneel. We fully support diversity and are focusing our energies and efforts on this as a team,” the spokesperson said.
“We knelt during our international campaign this summer and we continue to support what BLM stands for. We want to eradicate inequality in society.
“We will wear black armbands together with the SA team.”
READ | Proteas and Kneeling: Why the blanket, unyielding approach?
The BLM conversation has gained massive traction in international sport this year with, locally, South African cricket at the center.
In July, all players and management involved in the 3TC product at SuperSport Park knelt in support of the move after a difficult period of introspection for Cricket South Africa (CSA) which had seen former players submit stories of exclusion in the system. .
This followed Lungi Ngidi being attacked by members of the cricket community for emphasizing the need to discuss BLM in the Proteas setting.
That emotional period resulted in Boucher and an extended group of Proteas attending a five-day cultural camp in Skukuza where BLM-related issues were discussed extensively.
At the back of that camp, Boucher says they are now in a space where they have embedded a culture of respect and inclusion.
“It is an ongoing thing for us,” Boucher said at his press conference this week.
“It is not something that we have to continue to demonstrate. It is something to be lived. That is exactly what we are trying to do in our dressing room right now with a great squad.
“If the guys who brought it up are happy with it, that’s great, but if they feel like we need to do more, it will be a talk and they will be open to expressing their opinions.
“Our new value system is about respect, empathy, and belonging, and all of that leads to an environment where guys feel free to talk about these difficult topics. They have support, respect, and empathy. from all the other players. “
