Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa has supported the gesture of Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins and his team to take a knee in solidarity with the 'Black Lives Matter' movement ahead of the first Test against the West Indies at Perth Stadium on Wednesday.
This is the first time that Australia have made the gesture on home soil, alongside the West Indies players before the series opener. The West Indies have been taking a knee in all international fixtures since 2020.
Zampa said he and the team was proud of Cummins' stance to urge the players to make the gesture although the pace spearhead has been accused of pushing a 'woke' agenda. "The same people that say (to be quiet) are always the ones telling us to try and not be vanilla as well," Zampa said on SEN 1170 Breakfast on Wednesday.
"We have certain beliefs and if we're asked about it, we will tell the truth. "I think Pat (Cummins) nailed it on the head yesterday. He's obviously copped quite a lot in the media. He's not the guy who will back down and then change his values because of what a few people will comment on their Facebook pages about it," added Zampa.
A report in foxsports.com.au said the West Australian crowd had "applauded the players following the anti-racism gesture". It may be recalled that the Australian ODI side had taken a knee before white-ball fixture against the West Indies in the Caribbean, but Wednesday's act of solidarity was a first for the Test team on home soil.
"Both sides also participated in a Barefoot Circle, a mark of respect to First Nations people, before the toss in Perth," said the report.