Former England spinner of the Indian origin, Monty Panesar, shared from his experience what it has been like for the Black community in the UK and how they face regular discrimination on the basis of their colour.
The South Asian diaspora has also often been at the receiving end of "casual racism", but, Panesar said, it is nothing in comparison to what the Black people have had to endure in their everyday life.
"If someone is driving a fancy car here with tinted windows and he happens to black, he is six times more likely to be stopped by the police than others. So, the fear of the cops is in the everyday life of the Black community here," Panesar told PTI.
"That is what my Black friends tell me. They go to a supermarket store, the general mindset is that he could be here for shoplifting. If I keep something in my pocket, there won't be added attention but they go through constant tension of being caught even though they have not done anything," he added.
Panesar, whose parents moved to England in the 1970s, played 50 Tests and 26 ODIs for his adopted country. The 38-year-old is among those who felt really inspired by the speech from West Indies pace legend Michael Holding on racism ahead of the first Test of the English summer last week.
"There should be a five-year plan for accelerated change," said Panesar. "If no changes are made after giving speeches, then there is no point."
"The speech that Michael Holding gave, I have not seen anyone else delivering a message so powerfully like he did. He hit the nail on the head. And what better way to end racism than through cricket, through sport."
The UK is home to people from different cultural backgrounds, something which was reflected in the overall make-up of the English side at the last year's World Cup. However, there is still a need to enhance non-white participation in the sport and in various other facets of life.
"The South Asian community also faces casual racism but nothing like what the Black community faces on a daily basis," reiterated Panesar. "Having said that, Sikh community has been doing social work for decades and has been spreading the message of love and that people have appreciated and they love us back."
"But when I talk to my Black friends, they fear getting caught by the cops even though they have not done anything wrong. It is high time we stop stereotyping them. They should be educated, promoted to have the white collar jobs like others."
"Sub-consciously we are so prejudiced against the Black community that we don't realise it, we don't accept it. We need to get it out of our system," he added.
Panesar, however, said he himself was never racially discriminated during his England playing days from 2006 to 2013.
"I did not face it, to be honest. I was most worried about doing my job properly so that that I don't get an earful from the captain."
"If you are in a team, naturally you would have more things in common with the members of your community (be it Hindu, Muslim or Christian). But you must make the effort of mingling with all your teammates. It is very important in a team environment," he concluded.
