Cricket not immune from racism, admits ECB

On the back of the #BlackLivesMatter movement across the world, West Indies cricketer Darren Sammy, recently, spoke out about the casual racism that existed in the IPL during his time with Sunrisers Hyderabad and ever since, more players have taken to different platforms to voice their opinions. The most notable and scathing criticism and accusation came from former English cricketer Michael Carberry, who ripped into English cricket for not having any kind of Black representation at the top level, and even stated that there existed some kind of bias amongst journalists when it came to their treatment of Black cricketers.

"We truly believe that cricket is a game for everyone but understand that sadly, barriers to its enjoyment exist for many communities. We have made progress in bringing cricket to more and more people around the country and it is our resolve to break down barriers and reform our structures everywhere across the game.

Carberry, in his statement, pointed out the lack of Black representation within English cricket - be it in the administration or in the coaching field - and the ECB assured that they would engage more people of colour to address the lack of diversity that currently exists within the system. The board further lauded all the individuals who have been vocal about the issue.

"We will now work to engage community leaders and black influencers within cricket so that we can review and evolve our existing inclusion and diversity work and specifically address the issues raised by the black community. From there, it is our overall desire to create demonstrable action, in order to deliver meaningful and long-term change that permeates every layer of the game