England cricketers will wear Black Lives Matter badge during first Test against West Indies

England players will wear a Black Lives Matter badge against West Indies and will issue a statement on Thursday backing the movement but not endorsing any political views.

The West Indies team announced on Sunday they would wear the same logo used in the Premier League and designed by Alisha Hosannah, the partner of Watford captain Troy Deeney.

And England will follow suit when the sides meet for the first Test starting on Wednesday.

Lewis Hamilton will also not be prevented by his team from wearing a Black Lives Matter logo if he wants to do so during Formula 1’s first race weekend of the season, even though it may contravene motor racing’s rules on “political advertising”.

A Mercedes spokesman said: “Lewis, as I think we’ve established over many years, is free to express his opinions, his personal views, on many topics and this one is obviously one that is very important to him and in which he has taken a leading role.”

Mercedes has already unveiled a new black livery for this season’s car, the halo of which will feature the words ‘End Racism’, with the mirrors showcasing the #WeRaceAsOne hashtag.

Those same messages will appear on the track during the Austrian Grand Prix, with both Mercedes and F1 having decided not to promote Black Lives Matter.