Phil Simmons has revealed he was the victim of racist abuse while playing league cricket in England and confirmed his West Indies squad will “definitely” register their “solidarity” with the Black Lives Matter movement when the Test series against England begins.
As well as playing county cricket – he was a key member of the Leicestershire side which won the County Championship in 1996 – Simmons played in various leagues in England in the 80s and 90s. And while the West Indies head coach said he had not “really encountered that much” racism in the county game during his stints at Durham or Leicestershire, he did confirm he “encountered quite a bit” in one of the leagues.
He declined to confirm in which league the abuse occurred, only saying it was “in the north east.”
“I encountered quite a bit [of racism] up in the leagues,” Simmons said. “In county cricket I haven’t really encountered…