Former England captain Nasser Hussain has paid tribute to former West Indies speedster Michael Holding after the latter delivered a powerful and eloquent message against racism in Southampton.
Holding caught the imagination of viewers across the world who had tuned in to watch the opening day of the first Test of the #raisethebat series between England and West Indies at the Ageas Bowl.
As the toss got delayed due to rain, Holding and former English women’s cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent reflected on the much-prevalent racism in the society.
“Michael Holding did many great things with the ball during his career, but the way he is speaking about racism in cricket and the importance of Black Lives Matter is a reminder that he is a great man in other ways, too,” Hussain wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
“The segment we did on Sky Sports on Wednesday morning while we waited for the Southampton weather to behave itself was incredibly powerful and I hope the whole of cricket takes note.
“First, there was the emotion and conviction of Ebony Rainford-Brent, who has been through it all herself and brilliantly conveyed some of the painful experiences she has endured down the years.
“Then there was Holding, who spoke calmly and intelligently about cancer that is racism. He’s such a passionate man and it was a privilege to be standing next to him while we carried on the conversation in front of the cameras at the Ageas Bowl,” he wrote further.
The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement has intensified across the world following the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police personnel in the US in May.
Cricket became the latest sport to voice their outrage regarding racism. The England players joined their West Indian counterparts in taking a knee before the start of the Southampton Test and both teams also wore a BLM emblem on their respective jerseys to put forward a strong message.
