England fast bowler Jofra Archer has urged victims of racial abuse not to keep things bottled up and speak out as widespread protest continue to take place in various parts of the world following the death of George Floyd, an African-American who died in police custody in Minneapolis in the United States on May 25.
“I’m very glad the Black Lives Matter campaign has got as vocal as this,” Archer, who himself has been subjected to racial abuse in the past, wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
“As an individual, I’ve always been one for speaking out, especially if something bothers you. My personal view is that you should never keep things bottled up, because racism is not okay.”
The England team was known for its diversity in last year’s World Cup with players of New Zealand, South African and South Asian origins making the bulk of the first team when the Eoin Morgan-led side emerged victorious. The captain Morgan himself is Irish and had said that the team had Allah with them, as he was told by spinner Adil Rashid.
“We had Allah with us as well. I spoke to Adil (Rashid), he said Allah was definitely with us. I said we had the rub of the green,” Morgan had said in a press conference after the summit clash against New Zealand.
In his column, Archer lauded his team for its diversity and said: “We all live in the country and if you are English, you have as much right to play as anyone else.”
“There was a picture … of me, Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid hugging in celebration during the 2019 World Cup. It told you everything you need to know about our team.”
“Black Lives Matter” protests against racism and police brutality have been witnessed in major European cities as well as other parts of the world since the death of Floyd.
