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CRICKET-NZL-ENG-RACISM-ARCHER
England support ’emotional’ Archer after racist abuse in N.Zealand
WELLINGTON, Nov 26, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – England players will rally around an
“emotional” Jofra Archer after the paceman was racially abused by a spectator
in New Zealand, director of cricket Ashley Giles said Tuesday, as local
officials scoured CCTV footage to identify the culprit.
“It’s a shame that sort of thing is still in society,” Giles told reporters
after Archer was subjected to racist comments after being dismissed late on
day five of the opening Test in Mount Maunganui.
The Barbados-born bowler tweeted after the match that it was “a bit
disturbing hearing racial insults today whilst battling to help save my
team”.
The 24-year-old later told ESPNcricinfo that the abuser was a solitary New
Zealand spectator making comments “about the colour of my skin”.
Archer has been a powerful advocate for diversity in cricket and Giles,
when asked how the player was faring, replied: “The tweet, it was obviously
emotional, it hurts.
“We fully support Jof, there is no place for racism in the game… you know
what our team is like, they’ll rally round him.”
The incident has overshadowed the result of the first Test ever played at
Mount Maunganui’s Bay Oval, which New Zealand won by an innings and 65 runs.
Black Caps captain Kane Williamson described the taunt as “horrific”, while
New Zealand Cricket said the culprit would be reported to the police and face
a life ban if identified from the venue’s CCTV footage.
– ‘One idiot’ –
Williamson said such racism was “against everything that we as Kiwis are
about”.
“It’s a horrific thing. In a country and a setting where it is very much
multi-cultural,” he told news website stuff.co.nz.
“It’s something we need to put to bed quickly and hope nothing like that
ever happens again.”
Both Williamson and New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White
apologised to Archer.
White ordered extra security to ensure there was no repeat at the second
Test beginning Friday in Hamilton and called on spectators to “self-police”
unacceptable behaviour.
“We’ll be increasing security around the areas where the players are, in
particular when they’re coming on and off the field, but it’s quite difficult
when players are on the boundary,” he told Newstalk ZB.
“I’d like to think there’s a bit of self-policing going on as well, we
shouldn’t be accepting this kind of behaviour in our society.”
New Zealand and England are working together to investigate the incident
and Black Caps coach Gary Stead said he wanted the person responsible caught.
“Hopefully, it was just one idiot in the crowd and they deal with it,” he
told Radio New Zealand.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1115 hrs