ICC takes a stand on racism; shares clip of Archer's last ball from 2019 WC final

Following the death of George Floyd in the United States of America, former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy had demanded the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the cricketing world to take a stand on racism, asking them to break their silence on social injustice on people of his kind. The apex cricket council has now responded by sharing a clip of England's World Cup victory in 2019. Taking to Twitter, ICC shared a clip of Jofra Archer's last delivery to Martin Guptil which resulted in England lifting the prestigious trophy. 

"Without diversity, cricket is nothing. Without diversity, you don't get the full picture," ICC captioned the video, while adding, "The ICC stands against racism," at the end of the clip. 

Protests have rocked the US after George Floyd, a black man, died in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after Floyd stopped moving and was pleading for air.  Taking to Twitter, Daren Sammy had asked the cricketing universe to take cognizance of the act of racism, pointing out to them that it wasn't happening just in America alone. 

READ | Daren Sammy Challenges ICC & Cricketing World To Take Stand On Racism; 'I Wanna Hear You'

'It's in cricket too': Chris Gayle

Earlier, Chris Gayle also came forward and stated that racism not only exists in football, but it exists in cricket as well. He gave his own example where he said that even he has been subjected to racism as well. On his Instagram story, Christopher Henry Gayle wrote that black lives matter just as any other life. He then mentioned that black people matter and they should be stopped being taken for granted. The 'Universe Boss' added that even he has experienced racial remarks towards him while travelling all over the globe just because he is black. 

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George Floyd death and George Floyd protests

On May 25, George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed African-American, was brutally murdered by a police officer named Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The video of the incident that went viral on social media showed Chauvin pressing his knee against Floyd's neck. Floyd, who was handcuffed and pinned face down, was seen gasping for air as he repeatedly pleaded, "I can't breathe," with the officer. After several minutes, Floyd passed out. He was pronounced dead later that night.

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The George Floyd death has sparked protests and riots across several cities in the United States. Cities like Atlanta, New York, Houston, Boston, Minneapolis, Washington and others saw protesters gather in large numbers to lead peaceful protests. Derek Chauvin and the three other police officers - Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng - were fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. On Friday, Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

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