The England Men’s Test team will wear a Black Lives Matter logo on their playing shirts when they face West Indies in the #raisethebat three-match Test Series, which begins on Wednesday 8 July.
The decision was taken by the England and Wales Cricket Board and was supported by the England players – led by Test captain Joe Root and stand-in captain for the first Test, Ben Stokes.
In a mark of solidarity, the team will join the West Indies and carry an identical logo on their playing shirts.
The Black Lives Matter emblem was designed by Alisha Hosannah, the partner of Watford FC captain Troy Deeney. He was contacted by the ECB and CWI, and permission was granted for the logo to be displayed on the collar according to ICC regulations.
“The England and Wales Cricket Board fully support the message that Black Lives Matter. It has become a message of solidarity and a drive for progress and societal change. There can be no place for racism in society or our sport, and we must do more to tackle it," said Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer.
“Our support of that message is not an endorsement, tacit or otherwise, of any political organisation, nor the backing of any group that calls for violence or condones illegal activity. We are aware of certain aspects of the movement that promote their own political views, and their actions are not supported in any way by the ECB and our players.
“This moment is about unity. We are proud that our players will stand alongside those from the West Indies and wear a logo that embodies that philosophy. It is fitting that they do so in solidarity with athletes from the football world who wore it first. Our thanks go to Troy Deeney and his partner Alisha Hosannah, creator of the logo, who generously agreed to share it with us.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that cricket is truly a game for everyone. We will shortly set out further steps that build on the work we have already done to make cricket more inclusive and diverse in order to address some of the barriers which still exist for some communities.”