Be it any sport; no law says that the sport is restricted to players of a particular caste or race. However, despite this, players are continually judged and treated based on the same.
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They are even not spared in team sports, where it is all about teamwork and players are to work as a cohesive unit to attain the desired result. No way, racism has a place in any sports.
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Over the years, players have been continuously at the receiving end of the same. In the wake of #BlackLivesMatter, we take a look at the cricketers, who underwent the unfortunate fate, along with the ones that instigated it.
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Darren Lehmann: The former Australian head coach was once involved in an incident, while he was playing in Sri Lanka, in 2003. After being run out, Lehmann was furious, as he had shouted “black c****” in the dressing room. He later admitted to the offence and was banned for five ODIs, while he also termed it as “the biggest mistake” of his life. He later also apologised to Kumar Sangakkara and skipper, Sanath Jayasuriya, along with the entire team.
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Sarfraz Ahmed-Andile Phehlukwayo: Former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, too, joins the list as the notorious one, for having racially abused South African all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo, during an ODI last year. During the match, Sarfraz had told him, “Hey black guy, where’s your mother sitting today? What [prayer] have you got her to say for you today?” The video of the same went viral, as the former was banned for four games by the International Cricket Council (ICC), while he later apologised to Phehlukwayo.
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Dean Jones-Hashim Amla: The late Australian batsman and commentator once became infamous for using a racial slur against former South African batsman, Hashim Amla, on air. During a Test match between Lanka and Proteas in Colombo, Amla had claimed a catch to get rid of Sangakkara. While on commentary, Jones said, “The terrorist has got another wicket.” Later, Jones apologised for his remarks, while the broadcasters, Ten Sports, sacked him.
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Darren Sammy: The former Windies skipper was at the receiving end of the same during the Indian Premier League (IPL), while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He once wrote in his Instagram post, stating, “I just learnt what that ‘kalu’ meant when I played for Sunrisers in the IPL. They call me and Perera by that name. I thought it meant strong Stallion. My previous post tells me something different and I’m angry. Oh, so that’s what that meant when they called me and @tp_perera Kalu in India when we played for Sunrisers. I just thought they were calling me a strong black man I’m more piss (sic) now.”
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Jofra Archer: The players from Windies, who are generally black, have a tendency to attract racial slur. Same goes for Jofra Archer, who despite being a West Indian (Barbadian), plays for England. It was last year itself when during a Test match against New Zealand, in Mount Maunganui, he was racially abused by a fan. The man was apprehended, who admitted to the allegations and was banned from attending international and domestic matches in New Zealand for a couple of years.
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