Time has come to bring in the change, says Isa Guha

Racism is a topic of global debate right now after the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the USA. Former England cricketer Isa Guha said on Sunday (June 21) that it is an opportunity now to bring in a change citing the example of England men’s side for its diversity.



“We have a real opportunity with cricket because it does cross different races, backgrounds, and religions, and does bring all of these different people together,” Guha, winner of women’s World Cup and T20 World Cup, said during ICC’s online series Interviews Inside Out.



The session was moderated by former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop and also featured two-time T20 World Cup-winning former West Indies men’s captain Darren Sammy, former South Africa all-rounder JP Duminy, former Australia allrounder Tom Moody, and Pakistan’s Bazid Khan.



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“It is really a sport that unites everyone. I mean, look at the current England (men’s) team, we stumbled upon this team that is so diverse. But the most important thing for me is the representation,” Guha added. Sammy stressed on the fact that just like awareness around anti-doping or anti-corruption, it is important to educate young cricketers on anti-racism at a systematic level to reduce discrimination and promote the value of diversity.



“There is a need for education at a systematic level. Just as there is an emphasis on education around anti-doping or anti-corruption, the same emphasis must be given to educating the youth on anti-racism in order to help young cricketers understand diversity in cricket and adapt early on,” he said.



Earlier this month, Sammy had demanded an apology after claiming that he was subjected to racism during his stint with Sunrisers Hyderbad teammates in the IPL when he was called ‘Kalu’ – a derogatory word to describe black people – by his teammates.