Australia’s test cricketers will make an anti-racism statement by forming a circle while barefoot before the first One Day International of the summer against India.
Key points:
- Pat Cummins says “the barefoot circle is a great way to celebrate” Indigenous people
- West Indies’ great Michael Holding criticised the Australian team for not taking a knee earlier in the year
- The Australian women’s team stood barefoot in a circle before the recent series against NZ
Test vice-captain Pat Cummins said the team had decided to embrace the “barefoot circle” to acknowledge the global movement in sport against racism.
“In Australia, we think the most marginalised group is the First Nations people and the Indigenous peoples. And we think the barefoot circle is a great way to celebrate them,” Cummins said.
The Australian women’s team stood barefoot in a circle before the recent series against New Zealand to recognise indigenous culture.
Sheffield Shield and WBBL teams performed the gesture during NAIDOC Week in the last round.
Cummins said the team had been discussing issues around racism for several months including the possibility of the players taking a knee — a protest gesture that has become synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement — but agreed as a group to adopt the barefoot circle.
“I guess some people might want to take the knee, some people might want to show [their stance against racism] in a different way, and absolutely we’re all for that,” he said.
“Of course [we are] empowering anyone, if they feel really strongly about a certain demonstration. Whether it’s taking a knee or whatever it is, we’ll 100 per cent support them in that.
“But we kind of come (sic) together as a team and think this is the best way we can demonstrate anti-racism as well as celebrating Indigenous culture here.”
“I thought NAIDOC Week last week in the Sheffield Shield, that was quite a powerful opening day. And of course, in the WBBL [we are] seeing lots of great acts there as well,” Cummins said.
The Australian team was criticised by West Indies’ great Michael Holding for not taking a knee during the test series against England earlier this year.
“As soon as you try and learn a bit about it, it just becomes a really easy decision — not only as a sport, but we as people — [to be] absolutely against racism.
“In addition, we’re going to try and do a lot of work on our education. We’re going to try to learn as much about our history here in Australia, in particular, moving forward.”
The first One Day International against India is in Sydney on November 27.
