Of all (in)human acts, the one that shows the greatest tenacity for survival, even after being discouraged, discredited, disparaged and widely criminalised, is racism. Liberal education and enlightened laws have worked, but have also driven much of it underground, where they fester, mutate and show up in ever finer, subtler ways. Though racism infects all walks of life, it draws the most outrage when it rears its head in sport, possibly because it so militates against the idea of 바카라fair play바카라. Cricket, with its history of the coloniser introducing it to the Caribbean and the sub-continent, has run the gauntlet of racism and thus, a sudden spike of the scourge is distressing.
Forty-five years after a racist slur made by England captain Tony Greig whipped the collective pride of a touring West Indian team in 1976, England has slipped into soul-searching after a series of tweets, with misogynist and anti-Asian connotations, forced the England and Wales Cricket Board to 바카라grovel바카라 at a time of an impending blockbuster Test series with India. With sport adopting a zero-tolerance approach towards racism and sexism, a clutch of England cricketers has been found to express their 바카라superiority바카라, with inappropriate posts on social media. A worried ECB has initiated a 바카라review바카라 of these old posts, fearing more skeletons tumbling out of the stinky cupboard.
Ollie Robinson, the 27-year-old fast-bowling all-rounder, could never have imagined that his Test debut against New Zealand at Lord바카라s would be ruined by the ferreting out of sexist and racist tweets he made in 2012 and 2013 as a teenager. Robinson took seven wickets and scored 42 in England바카라s first innings of the drawn Test, but the joy of an impressive debut evaporated as ECB suspended the Sussex cricketer pending a disciplinary investigation.
The Robinson episode left the ECB deeply embarrassed. It came on a day when England and New Zealand cricketers stood at the lordly Lord바카라s in a 바카라moment of unity바카라, with England players wearing T-shirts denouncing various forms of discrimination. Soon, 바카라netizens바카라 gave England the blushes by digging out tweets that exposed how James Anderson, Dom Bess, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler had previously made disparaging remarks. Morgan and Butler, among the highest paid players in the IPL, made fun of the way Indians spoke English while Anderson바카라s homophobic remark at teammate Stuart Broad바카라바카라a 15-year-old-lesbian바카라바카라over a haircut revealed an ungainly aspect.
As critics pounded the ECB바카라former cricketers Farokh Engineer and Michael Holding were livid바카라its bigwigs were distressed that their 바카라aspiration to become a more inclusive and welcoming sport바카라 was 바카라severely dimÂinished whilst discriminatory content remains in social media바카라. England바카라s 바카라moment of unity바카라 drew scorn from Holding, who thought the gesture was akin to saying 바카라all lives matter바카라 and which was in stark contrast to the spine showed by English footballers, who defied fans바카라 taunts to continue taking the knee at Euro 2020.
Whilst the UK government said Robinson바카라s apology was enough and the suspension was 바카라over the top바카라, ECB went ahead to 바카라address any historical issues, (and) remind individuals of their personal responsibilities바카라Š.바카라
While the ECB바카라s quicksilver reaction has been in line with the world바카라s action on discrimination in sports, the errant tweets made by Robinson et al is indicative of a deep-seated problem in English cricket. Former umpires John Holder and Ismail Dawood have sued the ECB for alleged 바카라institutionalised racism바카라. Mohammed Sadiq Patel, the lawyer representing Holder and Dawood, said the Robinson case 바카라has reaffirmed institutional failings by the England and Wales Cricket Board concerning racism바카라.
Vijay Dwarkanath, a 44-year-old IT consultant from Bangalore, concurs. The 바카라inequality바카라 in ECB바카라s top list of umpires is blatant, he says. Dwarkanath, who is a level 3 umpire and coach at the Royal Ascot Cricket club, says non-English umpires 바카라don바카라t have the right ecosystem to prosper바카라. There are just four Asian umpires among 120; even South African and Australian umpires face bias as they are not 바카라pure바카라 English 바카라White바카라, he alleges. In June 2020, former England batsman Michael Carberry said racism in cricket was 바카라rife바카라, while former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq alleged 바카라institutional racism바카라 in the county.
Most top England cricketers come from private schools (only seven per cÂent of all English schools) for the affÂluent, points out Dwarkanath, adding that 바카라ability바카라 is not a criterion for a cricketing career. These schools offer private coaching and employ county players who work as scouts/selectors. 바카라It means government schools have no chance to produce cricketers as it is not part of the curriculum,바카라 says Dwarkanath. 바카라The restrictive nature of the pool is detrimental for kids under 14-15 years to seek cricket as a profession. A few (like Ravi Bopara or Monty Panesar) who made it to the top were exceptional,바카라 he adds. In June last year, former England ODI batsman Vikram Solanki became the first from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background to become coach of Surrey, one of the 18 first-class counties.
The Robinson episode has injected a sense of urgency into the counties. Reportedly, Lancashire is looking into 바카라more than 50 tweets바카라 from five squad members dating back to 2011 and containing 바카라racist, homophobic, anti-disability or misogynistic content바카라.
For a professional, fan or armchair expert, no cricketing pilgrimage or musing is complete without a stint, or a visit, to England. For those imbued with the charms, and picturesque envÂirons, of English cricket, the current turn of events has come as a huge let-down.
***
An Apology For Cricket
Recent instances of racism in cricket
- India바카라s tour of Australia, 2020-21: Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah were called 바카라brown dogs바카라 and 바카라big monkey바카라 by a section of the crowd in Sydney during the third Test. Six people were ejected by the police.
- IPL 2013: Ishant Sharma had called his former Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate, West Indian cricketer Darren Sammy 바카라Kalu바카라. Ishant clarified it was a common 바카라nomenclature바카라, and not a racist jibe. Sammy, initially angry, accepted a 바카라cultural gap바카라 in understanding.
- NZ vs England, 2019: During Day 5 of the first Test at Mount Maunganui, Jofra Archer was subjected to racial slurs by a Kiwi fan. After a probe, the guilty person was handed a two-year ban.
- South Africa vs Pakistan, 2019: Pakistan바카라s Sarfraz Ahmed was caught by the stump mike hurling racial abuse at Andile Phehlukwayo, addressing him as 바카라kaale바카라 (black man). The keeper-batsman was banned for four matches.
- Ashes, 2015:Â Four years after the series, England바카라s Moeen Khan revealed that an Australian cricketer had called him 바카라Osama바카라 during the Cardiff Test.
- Sri Lanka vs SA, 2006: During the Colombo Test, the late Dean Jones called Hashim Amla a 바카라terrorist바카라. Jones was taken off live commentary for several years.
- India vs Australia, 바카라Monkeygate바카라, 2008: Harbhajan Singh was banned for three matches when Andrew Symonds and his teammates alleged he called the latter a 바카라monkey바카라 during the Sydney Test. It was later clarified that Bhajji had hurled an unsavoury Hindi slang. Since the umpires did not hear anything and Sachin Tendulkar clarified on behalf of Harbhajan, the ban was overturned.
