ENG vs IND: Disappointed to hear reports of racist abuse, says England captain Ben Stokes
ENG vs IND: Ben Stokes, the captain of England, was upset to hear tales of racist behaviour from the fans during the delayed fifth Test against India in Birmingham. “There is simply no place for racism in sports,” he stated.
On the sidelines of the Edgbaston Test, which England won by seven wickets to tie the series 2-2, several Indian supporters claimed incidents of racial abuse from other fans.
“Amazing week on the pitch but really disappointed to hear reports of racist abuse at Edgbaston. Absolutely no place for it in the game,” Stokes wrote on his Twitter handle.
“Hope all the fans at the white-ball series have a brilliant time and create a party atmosphere. That’s what cricket’s about!!.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and also Warwickshire County Cricket Club began an investigation into the event after hearing complaints of racist taunts directed at Indian spectators on the fourth day of the final Test.
Warwickshire made the decision to use “undercover football crowd-style spotters” in the Edgbaston stadium. That will also host the second Twenty20 International between India and England, in order to monitor and report abusive behaviour.
Other actions taken by Warwickshire included boosting police presence at sporting events to handle disturbances quickly, promoting racial awareness via the Edgbaston mobile app, and placing QR code stickers on each seat in the Eric Hollies Stand that directed users to the app.
With numerous such incidences recorded over the past couple of years, English cricket has been dealing with accusations of racism.
Azeem Rafiq, a former Yorkshire cricketer, spoke before a British parliamentary committee last year. With prompting an investigation into allegations of systemic racism at Yorkshire and the implementation of significant reforms.
By retweeting some of the social media posts outlining the racist behaviour. Rafiq also contributed to drawing attention to the racial atrocities that occurred in Edgbaston.
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