Woman Big Bash League (WBBL) 2020, which will kick start from Sunday (October 25), will witness players standing barefoot in a circle ahead of each match to create awareness about racism.
The whole league, consisting of 59 matches, will be hosted in Sydney in Australia. A total of 250 players and their family members and other supporting staff have already reached there to present in the five-week show.
A report in cricket.com.au said on Saturday stated that the players and captains will have to stand together before matches to ‘reaffirm their commitment to reconciliation and stand against racism’.
“A Barefoot Circle will be performed ahead of each Rebel WBBL match on Sunday after the league’s indigenous players and its captains came together to reaffirm their commitment to reconciliation and taking a stand against racism,” the report said.
WBBL captain formed barefoot circle to stand against racism:
The eight skipper and some star players had gathered together on Saturday morning at e Sydney Olympic Park ground. They didn’t wear shoes while forming a circle.
“The eight skippers and five indigenous players – Ashleigh Gardner, Mikayla Hinkley, Anika Learoyd, Hannah Darlington and Ella Hayward – as well as the Stars’ Elyse Villani and Georgia Wyllie from the Scorchers met at Showground Stadium on Saturday morning to connect to country and acknowledge the traditional owners of the land,” the report added.
“All the players removed their shoes and formed the Barefoot Circle on the wet outfield of the Sydney Olympic Park ground, as the Heat’s Hinkley and Thunder’s Darlington readout acknowledgments of country in between solemn moments of reflection,” it said.
Ashleigh Gardner, who was also present in the ground, stated that they gathered to follow the initiative for a good cause.
“The discussion was around making sure everyone was on the same page,” Gardner told cricket.com.au. “We all agreed on doing a Barefoot Circle before the first round. It’s going to be a pretty powerful thing.”
Meanwhile, Indian women cricketers will not be featuring in WBBL because the Women’s T20 Challengers, four-match game, is collapsing its schedule.