Root hailed for gay sledge reply
A former England captain has hailed current skipper Joe Root for challenging an alleged homophobic taunt during the West Indies test.
Root has been widely praised after appearing to tell West Indies pace bowler Shannon Gabriel: ‘‘Don’t use it as an insult. There’s nothing wrong with being gay’’ in an exchange during the third test in St Lucia.
Gabriel has been charged with a breach Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct after the verbal exchange was captured on the stumps microphone. The charge will now be dealt with by match referee, former New Zealand captain Jeff Crowe, according to the ICC.
Ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain has tweeted that Root’s response was more important than anything the star batsman could achieve on the pitch.
‘‘I don’t know who said what to whom . . . but boy do I applaud Joe Root’s reaction here,’’ Hussain wrote.
‘‘For me his twelve words as a role model will be in the end more important than a test hundred or possible victory.’’
England won the match by 232 runs but the West Indies won the three-match series 2-1.
A leading executive at Stonewall – a UK organisation which campaigns for lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality – also praised Root.
‘‘Language is really influential and it’s great if Joe Root was willing to challenge potentially abusive comments,’’ Stonewall’s director of sport Kirsty Clarke said in comments reported on Sky Sports.com.
‘‘The more players, fans, clubs and organisations that stand up for equality in sport, the sooner we kick discrimination out and make sport everyone’s game.
‘‘Stonewall research shows more than half of British people [58 per cent] believe it’s important anti-LGBT language is challenged at live sporting events.’’
Dave Tickner, writing on Cricket 365, said Root’s 12 words would ‘‘resonate for a long time’’.
‘‘You can have all the inclusivity programmes you like, but there’s nothing to match the power and honesty of that heartfelt, individual response in the moment. Root did what he did not because someone demanded it of him but because it was the right thing to do.
‘‘Everything about it was perfect. Beyond the obvious correctness of what Root said, it was also delivered in measured tones. Root did not seek confrontation, but nor did he shrink from saying what needed to be said. It perhaps speaks to our low expectations of sport and sportsmen as human beings that Root doing nothing more nor less than the correct and decent thing feels so seismic, but this is where we are.’’
Root said at a press conference: ‘‘It’s test cricket, [Gabriel’s] an emotional guy trying to do everything he can to win a test match . . . sometimes people say things on the field that they might regret, but they should stay on the field,’’ he said.
Nigel Owens, rugby’s openly gay referee and a strong advocate for gay rights, also praised Root.
Owens wrote in a tweet of support to Root: ‘‘A wonderful and hugely important reply from Joe Root here to the sledging by Shannon Gabriel.
‘‘Delivered with calm and dignity and with a bigger impact than hitting the ball for six. Thank you Joe Root. What a man.’’