London: Former England pacer Chris Jordan has alleged that he was subjected to “relentless” racist abuse after England were knocked out of the T20 World Cup by New Zealand in November.
One of the favourites for the title, England crashed out in the semifinal to New Zealand after their bowling came unstuck towards the end of the match with New Zealand needing 57 runs to win off just 24 balls. They reached the target with six deliveries remaining as Daryl Mitchell struck an unbeaten 72 and Jimmy Neesham contributed a stunning cameo.
Chris Jordan was at the receiving end of the brutal assault by Neesham in the 17th over of the match, conceding 23 runs as it changed the complexion of the match.
Jordan has now opened up about the racist attacks he faced after that defeat, mirror.co.uk has reported.
In a video produced by Royal London and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Jordan spoke about how he was painted a villain and subjected to racist abuse in the aftermath of the match.
“Six months ago, in the World Cup semi-final, things didn’t go our way,” he said. “Social media, it was relentless for me, on Twitter and Instagram, there were lots of [racist] comments on my pictures and in my direct messages because we had lost a World Cup game. People felt that I had a big part to do with that,” he added.
“From my point of view, the England team currently is as diverse as it gets. I know that I’ve made some very good, lifelong friends in that changing room.
“That’s a credit to people like Eoin Morgan and Joe Root because our changing room is one of the most diverse [in world cricket]. Real change will come from within, through having real conversations, as some people are just unaware; it’s about continued education,” he was quoted as saying in the report.
Jordan was speaking to David ‘Syd’ Lawrence, the first British-born black cricketer to play for England who is now the president of Gloucestershire.
–IANS
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