The cliche of 'what happens on the field, stays on the field' has gone the way of the dinosaur according to Moises Henriques, who hopes the cricket community realises the impact of homophobic language.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Sydney Sixers host their annual 'Pride Party' on Thursday night, having worked with LGBTI+ organisations Proud2Play and Rainbow Families to try to ensure the SCG feels like a safe place for all fans.
It comes as Cricket Australia continue to deal with fallout from homophobic sledges uttered by Marcus Stoinis and James Pattinson this season.
Simon Katich publicly questioned whether Stoinis should have escaped with a fine, while others involved in the sport have privately expressed unease about the response from CA and Melbourne Stars.
Ryan Storr, a sports diversity expert who was critical of CA for not suspending Stoinis, addressed the Sixers before Thursday's clash with Hobart Hurricanes.
Dr Storr described just how damaging comments like those said by Stoinis, who has apologised and made it clear "there's absolutely no excuses" for his misdeed, can be.
"He presented some really shocking numbers in terms of problems with mental health within that community," Sixers skipper Henriques told reporters, detailing his pride at the club's commitment to LGBTI+ inclusion.
"How uncomfortable they feel coming to sport games.
"For any community to feel marginalised, it's not nice ... you can gloss over it all you like but these are people's lives.
"It's their mental health and something they live with for a long time."
Henriques suggested it was a "very big issue" confronting the sport.
"I know Marcus is a great bloke ... not homophobic at all and he just had a moment where he probably went back into some bad habits that he developed 15 years ago," the allrounder said.
"But times have changed.
"What goes on the field stays on the field, that might have been saying of a past generation. I'm not sure that is the case any more.
"You can't say things about people, then go 'that's not personal'."
Regarding Stoinis' stunning unbeaten century at the MCG, which led to a 44-run loss for the Sixers in their previous outing, Henriques vowed to learn from the onslaught.
"You don't want to be taking any scars into future matches but every game, win or loss, is another learning opportunity," he said.
"If we had our time again, we would have changed our lengths a bit earlier."
Australian Associated Press
