Lungi Ngidi’s support for the Black Lives Movement has triggered quite a furor in South African cricketing fraternity. While many of former South African cricketers have slammed him for ignoring the murders of white farmers back home, almost 30 other former cricketers have come out in support.
On Monday, a statement signed by 30 former Proteas - all players of color - and five coaches who wanted to air their support for both Ngidi and the BLM movement. The group includes Makhaya Ntini, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Paul Adams, JP Duminy, Charl Langeveldt, and Herschelle Gibbs.
On the other hand, former players like Pat Symcox, Boeta Dippenaar, Rudi Steyn, Brian McMillan, and others have slammed him for saying only Black Lives Matter and not All Lives Matter, given the rampant killings of white South African farmers.
Now Ngidi has received support from former South Africa captain Hashim Amla has well. Amla is of Indian- Muslim descent and played 124 Tests, 181 ODIs, and 44 T20Is for South Africa from 2004-2019.
‘If I misunderstood Ngidi, I will happily apologise’, Dippenaar maintains his views on BLM movement
He scored 9282 Test, 8113 ODI and 1277 T20I runs with a total of 55 international centuries. Amla currently holds the record for being the fastest ever to 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, and 7000 ODI runs.
Hashim Amla posted a lengthy caption detailing his reasons for supporting Ngidi and why Black Lives Matter. A part of his statement read “So why is Black Lives Matter relevant for us ?... because we are all black (to me anyway).”
Check out the entire statement here: