After Michael Holding’s moving speech in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement prior to the first Test between England and West Indies, South African pacer Lungi Ngidi had also voiced out his opinion on the trending topic.
Ngidi had appealed to his teammates to make a stand on BLM movement, especially when the squad meet in the next time.
“It’s definitely something that we will discuss once we are together in person. We have spoken about it, and everyone is well aware of what’s going on. It’s a difficult one because we are not together, so it’s hard to discuss. But once we get back to playing that is definitely something we have to address as a team.”
“It’s something that we need to take very seriously and, like the rest of the world is doing, make a stand,” Ngidi had said.
However, Ngidi’s statement didn’t go down well with some former South Africa cricketers like Pat Symcox and Boeta Dippenaar, who urged the young speedster to stand for those farmers, mainly white, murdered in recent times.
But now, Ngidi’s former companion Hashim Amla and Cricket South Africa (CSA) have offered their support to the right-arm bowler.
Amla wrote a lengthy message on his Instagram profile, thanking Ngidi and others who have “stood up for just causes in their own way”.
“The Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign has relevance for everyone. Why? In the Islamic tradition it is understood that the first man, Adam (peace be upon him), was of dark skin henceforth all of humanity have deep roots to this proud heritage and should have zero qualms in being referred to as black,” wrote Amla.
“This makes it even more transparent for the person who believes in their black lineage that the imagined superiority of whites over blacks or blacks over whites, or one nationality over another, is merely delusional. Yes, that’s right- nothing but delusional.
“However many of us, including myself have bore the brunt of these delusions and have crazy stories to tell which is why it makes it even more admirable to see exceptional youngsters like @lungingidi doing his bit to represent us all. Thank you, brother and all those who stand up for just causes in their own way-publically and privately.
“I speak for myself and those who share this belief that the end product of being racist is only self-destruction and social change,” added Amla.
CSA also issued a statement, supporting Ngidi and the BLM movement. It also appealed to other former and current cricketers to register their support for the campaign.
“We note the claims of discrimination and racism that have been made by current and former players and coaches, and we acknowledge that these are a part of the sport’s past, and sadly, it’s present. We have to face reality, as management and custodians of the game, that we need to come up with creative, tangible and meaningful ways to address this – even more, than we have done already – to make sure that they are not part of our future,” the statement read.
“As a national federation that is custodian to a sport that is loved and played by South African men and women, CSA is actively working to redress the inequalities of the past and to make cricket a truly transformed national sport of winners.
“CSA welcomes the statement of support for Lungi Ngidi’s BLM stance, made by 31 players and coaches, and the CSA Board and CSA Exco stand with this group, and every other cricket player, coach and fan that believes that there is no place for racism of any kind in cricket. CSA encourages more current and former players and coaches to do the same,” the statement further read.
