ENG v WI 2020: Windies team mulling taking the knee in support of Black Lives Matter campaign says Jason Holder

The death of George Floyd in USA due to police brutality sparked massive protests all over the world.

West Indies captain Jason Holder said that his team is debating whether to take the knee during the three-Test series beginning next month against England in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Holder's squad arrived in Manchester on Tuesday as anti-racism demonstrations, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in the United States, continued worldwide. Kneeling has become a symbolic way for sportsmen to show support for the broader Black Lives Matter campaign.

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"What has happened recently has impacted the world and the response from people around the world has been tremendous. You must acknowledge it and protesting or standing up for what you believe is seen as noble and courageous and something I myself would never sit and disapprove of,” Holder said on Wednesday.

"It (taking a knee) will definitely -- probably -- be discussed amongst us and we'll decide how we'll go forward as a team with it. I just want to make sure whatever we do, if we do anything, that it is done the right way,” he added.

Holder felt that it could be something the team could build on and get some positive energy out of it.

"I haven't had any personal experience of racial abuse in cricket...But I would be foolish to sit here and say that racism is not prevalent. It is a crime throughout the entire world and something that will probably be an ongoing discussion way past our lifetimes. For me the greatest thing at the end of the day is unity, I just want equality to excel, so we can have less fighting, less killing, less adversity in society,” Holder explained.

(AFP inputs)