Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="prasannaf" data-source="post: 9532207" data-attributes="member: 372">Steven Davies reveals he is gay       ESPNcricinfo staff   February 28, 2011       <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/503503.html#comments" target="_blank">Comments: 8</a>    |           <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/503503.html#comment_frame" target="_blank">Post yours as</a> <img src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/connect_fb_icon.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />  |       Text size:    A    | A                    <img src="http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/121300/121360.2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />                 Steve Davies has played eight ODIs and five T20s for England     © Getty Images                              Enlarge                                                             Related Links                                         Players/Officials:              <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/12450.html" target="_blank">Steve Davies</a>          Teams:              <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/team/1.html" target="_blank">England</a>                    England and Surrey wicketkeeper <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/12450.html" target="_blank">Steven Davies</a>  has revealed he is gay, becoming the first playing professional  cricketer to so. Davies, who was part of England's successful Ashes  tour, went public with the news in an interview with the Daily Telegraph .  He said he was comfortable with who he is and hopes his announcement  would make it easier for others to be open about their sexuality.   "I'm comfortable with who I am - and happy to say who I am in public,"  Davies said. "To speak out is a massive relief for me, but if I can just  help one person to deal with their sexuality then that's all I care  about."   Davies came out to his friends and family five years ago and confided in  England coach Andy Flower ahead of the Ashes tour, with Flower and  captain Andrew Strauss then letting the rest of the squad know.   "It was a fantastic thing to do, telling the lads," he said. "The  difference is huge. I am so much happier. I told Andy Flower first. It  was a tough thing for me to do, to tell him face-to-face, but I had to  do it. He supported me 100%, [both] him and Andrew Strauss. It was the  right thing to do as I felt I couldn't live like this anymore.   "I didn't enjoy going on tour too much because of the secret, and the  Ashes was going to be a 3½-month tour. That's a long time and I would  have really struggled to finish it. My sexuality is an essential part of  who I am, so I wanted the boys to know."   Strauss said that he would tell half the squad, with Flower telling the  others. Two days later, Davies met his team-mates at Lord's, where their  reaction could not have been more supportive.   "I was so nervous," he said. "I got there really early -- I was the  first one. I couldn't think of anything except what they were going to  say and how they would react. In fact, everyone was great. They just  said it wasn't an issue."   Matt Prior, who was his rival for the wicketkeeping position and is  playing that role in the World Cup, came over to give Davies a hug. "He  couldn't believe I had kept it to myself for this long," Davies said.  "He said I should have told him. That was special."   Davies becomes one of only a handful of professional sportsmen to come  out. Footballer Justin Fashanu, who died in 1998, and dual-code rugby  international Gareth Thomas are the only two British sportsman to  previously do so during their playing careers. "Gareth Thomas' story  helped me," Davies said. "It showed me it can be done. He was brave  enough to stand up and say who he was. If I can help anyone else like he  helped me, that would be great."   Flower said he has the full support of the England set up and backed  Davies to regain his place in the one-day squad he lost just prior to  the World Cup. "This is something Steve chose to discuss with me and the  squad some time ago. I would like to make it very clear that Steve is  first and foremost a very talented cricketer and a valued member of the  England set-up.   "Steve has had and will continue to have the full respect and support of  the entire squad and everyone involved in England cricket. I have no  doubt that he will continue to work hard to regain a place in the  England squad."   Davies' England team-mate batsman Ian Bell said the news had no affect  on team whatsoever. "For us as a group, it didn't affect anything for  Steve or any of the other lads," Bell said. "It helped him by speaking  to the guys and we just got on with it. He's a fantastic cricketer and  we're all with him. We support Steve as any of the other lads. He's a  good mate of mine and that doesn't change absolutely anything. He's a  massively important person in our team going forward. The more cricket  he can play for England, the better."    Vikram Solanki, chairman of the Professional Cricketers' Association,  and Davies' former team-mate at Worcestershire said: "Steve has the full  support of all his colleagues in cricket. Many of those Steve plays  with and against have known about this for some time and none of them  regard it as anything other than an entirely personal matter."               © ESPN EMEA Ltd.</blockquote>

Verification: Dahaya deken beduwama keeyada?

Top Bottom