England and West Indies players took a knee before the first ball of their Test match on Wednesday afternoon to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
The tourists also elected to wear black gloves on their right hand, and held up their arms in a fist in a show of solidarity for the global movement that had gathered pace since the killing of George Foyd in the United States.
Some members of the England support staff also chose to raise their fists in a supportive nature.
Similar gestures have been made in the Premier League and Formula One in recent weeks, and with cricket getting back underway in Britain for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic halted all professional sport in March, cricket showed it is fully behind the battle to eradicate racism and racial inequality.
It followed a minute’s silence to remember the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the confirmed worldwide death toll now more than 544,000 since the crisis began at the start of the year. It was also dedicated to the late Sir Everton Weekes, the legendary West Indies player and one of the famous ‘Three W’s’ who died last week at the age of 95.
The boundary boards around the perimeter of the Ageas Bowl also carries the name of Weekes to pay tribute to the great Bajan batsman of the 1940s and 1950s.
Both sets of players were also wearing the shirts with the message ‘Black Lives Matter’ printed on the collar, while Sky Sports - the broadcasters of the three-Test series - screened a powerful feature on racism by commentator Michael Holding and former England player Ebony Rainford-Brent in the build-up to the match.
West Indies captain Jason Holder was one of those players to wear a black glove on his fist, ahead of what was their first match since flying to the UK last month and spending two weeks in a bio-secure quarantine in order to be eligible for the Test series under the new safety protocols.
"It's been a little strange not being able to move out of the hotel,” Holder said. “It is what it is and we've just got to crack on with it. Preparation has been very good; we enjoyed it."
