At the end of the 44th over of England’s second innings in the third test match between the West Indies and England, an unusual and highly inappropriate slur was thrown by West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel towards to English captain, Joe Root, who was on his way to yet another test century. While Root himself, during the press conference at close of day, would not entail what had been directly said to him, his response on the ground indicated that it was a “homophobic slur.” Responding to Gabriel, Root replied, “don’t use it as an insult. There’s nothing wrong with being gay.”
After already being 2-0 up in the test series, the West Indies were looking for a clean swap against England, but Joe Root stood up valiantly with a hundred to remember. He was accompanied by Ashes hopeful Joe Denly, who scored a solid 69, putting a firm grip on his claim for a top order position (in a somewhat shambolic top order for England).
In 2019, sledging or even jokes of the nature made by Gabriel are completely unwarranted, in the sporting arena and in society itself. Clearly frustrated by the lack of penetration the West Indian attack had up to that point in the test match, Gabriel offered this insult to arguably one of the best players in our current era.
In hindsight, this moment has been left to die in comparison to other ‘scandals’ in world cricket. However, when weighed up with other situations, should it have been? Is this the message we want to be sending to the younger generations? Yet, would the media reporting and scrutiny have been the same had the slur been thrown down by someone like David Warner, or any other member of the ‘poor cultured’ Australian cricket team for that matter?
As all cricket fans know, Australian cricket players Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith (former captain) and David Warner (former vice captain) were all banned for significant periods of time for their involvement in the ball tampering against South Africa in March, 2018. This leads one to believe that due to the public perception of these people and the recent events that have transpired, if it happened to one of them or to another high profile player, the media would be scrutinising this and looking at the events through a microscope. This in no way excuses what they did to any degree, but it does leave one to imagine that there is a discrepancy between high profile players of high profile nations, and that the media escalates events that will sell more stories, rather than those that warrant extra critique. When you think of the best cricketers in the world, Shannon Gabriel’s name doesn’t come to mind (no disrespect intended). His name isn’t on the shirts of young kids, unlike players like David Warner, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli. For that matter, it’s quite significant to see how much impact high profile players have on the youth of today. The incident involving Gabriel and Root should see actions imposed to not just punish but to educate people on the fact that using terms like those used by Gabriel are not okay. Just like with racism, these disturbances should be kept out of the game we all love.
From an outsider’s perspective, the series was played in reasonably good spirits. But, with the lack of condemnation placed upon Gabriel, is this the message we want to be portraying to the next generation of cricketers? That if you are not famous or constantly under media attention, it’s okay to slandered someone like that? That it’s okay to imply that there is something wrong with being gay? This is one for the mind of all cricketers to digest. Referring back to the Indian superstar Virat Kohli, who is always under scrutiny for his on-field antics (more specifically his aggression towards opponents), if this societal God like figure did anything or said anything along the lines of what Gabriel did, I can only assume that more emphasis and media coverage would have been taken.
Being a professional cricketer not only brings the pressures of performing on the pitch, but maintaining a high social level and code of ethics.
The same can be said for former Australian vice captain David Warner, known to the cricketing world as a professional “sledger.” Warner was heavily punished for ball tampering, so if he said something similar to what Gabriel said, what punishment would he have received? No doubt, the media coverage if Warner had been involved would have been worldwide. But, has a line been drawn in the sand that makes ball tampering a worse offence than homophobic sledging, or is the scrutiny purely based on player profile? It seems that the priorities in of the world cricketing media are wrong.
We all remember the interview between T20 international and big hitting West Indian Chris Gayle and Mel McLaughlin after a Gayle innings in the Big Bash League a few seasons ago. The simple comment “don’t blush baby” came across as sleazy and uncalled for and suggested Gayle lacked respect for women. The traction it received and picked up was immense, yet something clearly questioned or stated by Shannon Gabriel is swept under the carpet of world media. Were they both just a slip of the tongue, or is there an underlying factor that explains the differences in media scrutiny that needs to be speculated?
After the test match concluded the evidence shown to the ICC resulted in a four match ban for Gabriel, after they handed out the deemed necessary demerit points, which is either two tests or four ODI’s. Although this ban is adequate and the incident has been dealt with well by the ICC, if someone with a broader and more controversial reputation was in the seat of Gabriel, then I’m sure the media speculation would be undoubtably higher. Cricketers are not just athletes. They need to remember that they are role models. Although yes, sometimes on the field one can lose their cool, cricketers must also try to set a good example for the future generations and keep the reputation of the “gentleman’s game” intact.
I’d also like to add that Joe Root’s handling of the situation was admirable. He demonstrated his supreme leadership skills, and should be an example for not only athletes and sportspeople alike, but for the audience, the viewers and the general public.
In the days after the test match was concluded, Gabriel admitted his slur was along the lines of “do you like boys?” With the correct punishment being handed down, the situation should not evolve any further and it is quite evident that Gabriel is not proud of his comment made towards the English captain. The ICC punishment fits the crime, but hopefully this sort of slander can be eradicated fully from the game of cricket. However, the only way to do this is for the media to be impartial in their reporting of cricket controversies, bringing most to the public attention events that are the most severe, not those that involve the most high profile players.
England went on to wrap up the final test match by 232 runs, with Roston Chase’s resilient 102* the only notable mention for West Indies. Meanwhile, James Anderson took 3/27 off 11 overs in the second innings, and Moeen Alli finished the match with figures of 7/135.
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