England and West Indies will take the knee for 30 seconds before the start of first Test
England and the West Indies will both take the knee for 30 seconds before the start of the first Test against the West Indies in a show of support with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Both teams had already announced that they will wear a Black Lives Matter logo on their shirts for this month's Tests and have been discussing whether to take a further stand in recent weeks. The two sides have now agreed to take the knee before play at the Ageas Bowl, believing it will be a powerful symbol against racial inequality that could resonate in the sporting world and beyond.
The International Cricket Council has adopted a policy of prohibiting political symbols or statements during games, but has already said that it does not regard protesting racism as a political statement, so no teams will face sanctions for taking the knee or the logos on their shirts.
While declining to say whether they would take a knee, stand-in Test skipper Ben Stokes confirmed earlier on Wednesday that England would make “a gesture” in support of Black Lives Matter during the first Test against the West Indies.
“There is going to be a gesture shown from us as a team in support of Black Lives Matter towards the equality in society throughout cricket and throughout sport,” Stokes said. “We aren’t in any way, shape or form showing support towards any political matters on the movement. We are all about the equality through society and sport.
“Without the diversity that we have shown as a team over however many years, and the equality that needs to be given, we might not be World Cup champions, we might not be one of the best Test teams in the world. We have a great chance to send a real powerful message and to educate people more on the matter.
Ahead of the Test series, Stokes declared that England were building towards returning to Test number one as he prepared to stand-in for Joe Root and become England’s 81st Test match captain.
“We have a goal of being the best team in the world so we are building towards that,” Stokes said before the first Test against the West Indies, which begins on Wednesday. “If you are not performing well as a player, there is someone who is right behind you to come in which is a great place to be at.”
England’s bowlers are all fit and refreshed and if they leave out Stuart Broad, as expected, and pair Mark Wood and Jofra Archer it will be a big step in their Ashes planning. Pace will be key in Australia and Wood and while Archer need to be managed carefully, picking them also sends a message that England now have firepower. There is healthy competition for places and Broad can expect to be rotated now along with Anderson keeping them fresh to pick off a West Indies line up that has only made 350 in the first innings of a Test 12 times in the last decade (and only twice since 2014).
Broad has not missed a home Test since 2012, when he was rested against the West Indies. His form has not dipped in recent years - he has taken 52 wickets at 24.07 since the start of 2019 - and, even if he is omitted, he is certain to feature later this summer. Chris Woakes, the other seamer set to be left out, will also be involved during England’s run of six Tests in seven weeks.
Omitting the spinner Dom Bess and picking a five-man seam attack is another option but it is unlikely because the Ageas Bowl wicket took turn during the warm-up games.
“It’s not very often we have been in this situation where we have six or seven bowlers we could choose from,” Stokes said. “It obviously gives the captain and the selectors an absolute nightmare because you can only pick so many.
“From the bigger picture, it’s a great place to be in as a team. I feel as if we are in a position now with the Test team like we were with the one-day team in 2015 when we were building for that World Cup. I feel as if we are building for the Ashes in Australia and also India.”
Ahead of his first Test as captain, Stokes has been discussing the role with Root, who misses the Test as his wife is about to have a baby.
“Rooty just left a message on the hanger which said ‘Do it your way’,” Stokes said. “It was just a bit of paper over the top of the hanger, I wasn't really expecting it. It was a really nice message to receive and nice for Joe to think about me doing it for the first time. There's been a lot of opinions flying around but that was a really nice thought.
“I haven’t been on him too much but I am sure when the Test match starts, I know for a fact he will be at home watching and I know that his phone will always be available for me to get in contact with him if I need to.
“I said when I first got asked that I am going to be very open to opinions from people. Just because Joe is not here doesn’t mean I am not going to use him. Joe has always been very open and willing to listen to advice from players. I think I’d be stupid to go away from that.”
Stokes said that after the break due to Covid-19, cricket had a “massive” role to play in helping with the return to something approaching normality. “We know we have that responsibility on our shoulders, to go out and do justice for all those people.”
Stokes’s family will not be with him at the Ageas Bowl, but they will be marking the occasion in different ways.
“My wife has told me she is going to be hosting a cricket lunch back at home but my Mam is spitting bullets because they're not showing the game back in New Zealand.
“Of course it is going to be a proud moment for my family as well as for myself and I would love my wife and kids to be here to see what I'm about to do but, what can you do? There are more important things going on in the world.”
