Michael Holding criticises England and Australia for not taking a knee

West Indies great Michael Holding has criticised England and Australia for opting not to take a knee in support of the campaign to fight racial injustice, accusing them of making "lame" excuses. Holding in July recalled ugly incidents he experienced as a young cricketer on his visits to Australia and England. The former paceman spoke about how meaningful change was needed following the death of George Floyd in police custody in the United States, which sparked a wave of protests across the globe. England and West Indies cricketers took a knee at the start of each of their three Tests in July. The practice was repeated during England's one-day international series against Ireland but not in subsequent series against Pakistan and Australia. England and Australia are playing each other in a three-match ODI series starting at Old Trafford on Friday. "I'm a little bit disappointed that since the England-Ireland series, when they did take a knee, I haven't seen any of the teams take a knee," Holding said on his YouTube channel. "Now that the West Indies team has gone home, that doesn't mean that you still shouldn't be respecting the message and exactly what it stands for." Holding accused the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Australia captain Aaron Finch of making "lame" statements over ending the practice at a time when many other sports teams remain committed to it. Finch said after raising the matter with England skipper Eoin Morgan, his team would not take the knee, adding that "the education around it is more important than the protest".

Michael Holding criticises England and Australia for not taking a knee

On-field show of solidarity for racial justice has ended after West Indies' tour