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Australian cricketers have decided to take a knee for the first time on home soil next week and plan to continue the gesture in each of the two-Test matches against West Indies. Cricket Australia has confirmed the development and informed that players would take part in an anti-racism gesture. Notably, the first Test will take place in Perth on Wednesday before the bilateral series concludes in Adelaide.
The West Australian report quoted Cricket Australia stating that Australian players took a knee during warm-up games in the West Indies and will support the West Indies team by taking a knee alongside them.
"As a team, we will continue to educate ourselves, provide support where possible and create awareness for victims of racial injustice and or/discrimination in any form. We knee alongside racial injustice and or/discrimination, past and present," the Australian team said in a statement last year.
Meanwhile, former West Indies cricketer Michael Holding lauded the Australian team for supporting their peers and told The Sunday Age that he was 'extremely proud of it.' "To those who talk about not mixing sports and politics, why did they not play in South Africa during apartheid? Once you do the right thing, you can go to bed feeling comfortable and with nothing on your conscience," Holding said.
A West Indies legend criticised Australian players as 'lame' in 2020 for taking a knee. However, Australian batter Aaron Finch has said that education regarding cruel acts like racism is more important than just a 'gesture'. Aaron Finch had even revealed the reason behind not taking a knee, saying that the education around it was more important than the protest.
"The knee gesture shows that you care about a century-old issue. It is not a protest. You are signaling your involvement in an issue and supporting the issue that people are fighting for. Simple as that," Michael Holding told the Sydney Morning Herald at that time.
Notably, Australian cricketers and support staff first took a knee in a stand against racism in July 2021 while playing a T20I in St. Lucia. Reports have confirmed that West Indies players will join Australia's Barefoot Circle before the first ball of the First Test in Perth. The Barefoot Circle, which started in 2020, is an initiative held before the start of every series to acknowledge the land's traditional owners.