A race row has broken out in New Zealand ahead of the West Indies tour there.
Promoters of the matches are Otago Cricket and their slogan for the Tests is: ‘It’s all white here!’
This has been strongly condemned by the West Indies Players’ Association ahead of the Dunedin Test.
The idea mirrors another promotion a few years ago in which New Zealand fans were encouraged to ‘Black out’ in support of their team, colloquially known as the Black Caps. However, the concept has angered people in New Zealand and abroad, forcing an apology from Otago Cricket’s chief executive.
‘We just wanted a catchy phrase to help sell the game,’ said Ross Dykes yesterday. ‘It was all based around the association of the colour with cricket.’
Despite the apologies, WIPA has vehemently condemned the phrase.
‘This slogan which, in our view, may be reasonably perceived to be loaded with racial innuendoes has quite naturally raised eyebrows in many places, including New Zealand itself,’ said a WIPA spokesman. ‘We request that the West Indies Cricket Board take up this issue as a matter of urgency with New Zealand Cricket.’
Not all observers were so strongly against the idea, however. New Zealand’s former batsman, Glenn Turner, Glenn Turner said people could be ‘too politically correct’.
He added: ‘It’s about the tone. I don’t think anyone had negative intention here. But whether it’s a bit loose or sloppy is open to comment.’
Related Videos
