"My personal view is that you should never keep things bottled up, because racism is not OK. If you feel the need to speak out, you should do so"
Thursday 11 June 2020 15:04, UK
England bowler Jofra Archer has encouraged victims of racial abuse to speak out following the death of George Floyd in America.
Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in Minneapolis after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes and his death has sparked anti-racism protests across the world.
Archer, who was racially abused during England's tour of New Zealand late last year, wrote in the Daily Mail: "I'm very glad the Black Lives Matter campaign has got as vocal as this. As an individual, I've always been one for speaking out, especially if something bothers you.
"My personal view is that you should never keep things bottled up, because racism is not OK. If you feel the need to speak out, you should do so.
"I accept that others might choose not to make it public and deal with things in their own way, but it is why I acted when I was verbally abused in New Zealand last year."
Archer was part of a multi-cultural England side that won the Cricket World Cup at Lord's last July and says the team is the most diverse in the world.
"The England cricket team are probably the most diverse side in the world. In fact, no probably about it, we definitely are.
"You don't notice any differences because everyone gets along so well and we are as one. No one is different, everyone's the same. That's the culture.
"We all have different backgrounds but it feels very natural to play for England. We all live in the country and if you are English, you have as much right to play as anyone else.
"There was a picture being tweeted this week that I liked. It was one of me, Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid hugging in celebration during the 2019 World Cup. It told you everything you need to know about our team."
