"I personally was a bit disappointed to see how the Pakistan and Australia tours went on after ours, that they were not showing their solidarity afterwards"
Tuesday 20 October 2020 15:40, UK
West Indies skipper Jason Holder was "disappointed" sides did not "show their solidarity" with the Black Lives Matter movement and take the knee during England's games against Pakistan and Australia this summer.
England and West Indies adopted the anti-racism stance before each of their three Test matches in July as part of the worldwide protests following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
England and Ireland also took the knee in their ODI series but that position was shelved when the home side welcomed Pakistan and Australia later in the year, a decision that was criticised by Sky Sports pundit and former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding.
The England and Wales Cricket Board issued a statement after Holding's comments, saying: "Our response to the Black Lives Matter debate has been to view the issue alongside the whole inclusion and diversity space, to ensure that long-term and sustainable change happens for all communities who are not treated equally. We remain committed to this philosophy."
Speaking after he and his West Indies team-mates were given the Cricket Writers' Club's Peter Smith Award for becoming the first international team to tour amid the coronavirus pandemic, Holder said: "I personally was a bit disappointed to see how the Pakistan and Australia tours went on after ours. That they were not showing their solidarity afterwards.
"It's a hard challenge and a long hard road. It's not an overnight fix but the most important thing is we come together and see each other as equal human beings."
Australia head coach Justin Langer said his team should have given greater consideration to taking the knee in their white-ball fixtures with England following Holding's criticism of both sides.
Holder said: "I was following a bit of what Mikey Holding was saying. It's difficult to get people to see the importance of it and that's where the education has to continue to filter through.
"There are inequalities out there, some are very much in our faces and some are done discreetly but they are out there."
Holder is currently part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in the Indian Premier League and says the Black Lives Matter movement has not been mentioned.
The all-rounder said: "To be honest, I haven't had one conversation up here around it. Sometimes it seems as though it's gone unnoticed, which is a sad thing.
"I guess it's for us to re-highlight the importance of it and for people to understand what is happening in the world."
England Women and West Indies Women did take the knee during their five-match T20 international series in Derby in September.
Holder added: "Cricket West Indies has done an excellent job in continuing awareness. The women had a series in England where they wore the Black Lives Matter logo and continued to push the movement as well."
