“Nothing Wrong With Being Gay,” Joe Root Responds to WI Sledging

Joe Root wins over the internet with his “there is nothing wrong with being gay” comment to Shannon Gabriel.

(Photo: AP)

England may have lost the Test series in the Caribbean but skipper Joe Root is winning the internet with his reply to an inappropriate comment by Windies bowler Shannon Gabriel during the third day of the third Test in St. Lucia.

In a clip being shared on social media, Root can be heard on the stump mic saying, "Don't use it as an insult. There is nothing wrong with being gay." What Gabriel initially said to earn that reply from the England skipper however did not get picked up by the mic.

While speaking to the media after stumps, Root was asked to share what Gabriel said but he evaded the question saying instead, “It's Test cricket and (Gabriel) is an emotional guy trying to do everything he can to win a Test match. Sometimes people say things on the field that they might regret, but they should stay on the field."

On Day 3 in St Lucia, Root scored a century as England manhandled a depleted West Indies attack to lead the dead rubber third test by 448 runs after three days on Monday. England, 123 runs up on the first innings, cruised from 19 without loss at the start of the day to 325-4 at stumps. Root was 111 not out, reaching his first half-century and century in eight innings, with the West Indies already having won the series 2-0.

However, it was his comment to Gabriel that’s made Root the winner on the internet today: