That concludes our live coverage. Here’s our updated take on today’s events:
And the key points of Rafiq’s evidence:
Updated
I think it’s fair to say that Azeem Rafiq was by far the most impressive person to appear this morning. His testimony was at turns jawdropping and heartbreaking. Roger Hutton and the ECB’s quartet were, to say the least, somewhat less inspiring.
One of the many questions this extraordinary DCMS select committee hearing has raised this morning https://t.co/MuFRppesrl
— Sean Ingle (@seaningle) November 16, 2021
A quick look at some of the news coming out of today’s hearing:
- Azeem Rafiq said racist terms were used “constantly” across his two spells with Yorkshire. “Everyone saw it,” he added. “No one did anything about it.”
- Rafiq said Gary Ballance used to call black and Asian players “Kevin”. “Kevin was a something Gary used to describe anyone of colour in a very derogatory manner. It was an open secret in the England dressing room,” he said. He said he believed Alex Hales, Ballance’s friend and teammate, went on to name his dog “Kevin”, because the dog was black.
- Rafiq said as a 15-year-old he was pinned down in club cricket and had red wine poured down his throat.
- Rafiq said he would not want his son to play cricket: “I don’t want my son to go anywhere near the game.”
- Former Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton said there was a “clear resistance” at the club to see Rafiq as the victim.
- Both Hutton and Rafiq said that racism was a game-wide issue in cricket.
Updated
At the regular Downing Street lobby briefing, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said the prime minister had been in meetings and so had not seen Rafiq’s testimony. He added: “Clearly, the evidence given this morning is concerning, and there is no place for racism in sport, and equally there’s no place for racism in society.”
And that brings an end to an extraordinary morning of proceedings.
Knight returns to the Colin Graves Trust. He says Hutton described it as a roadblock to reform. What will be done about that trust?
Harrison says the ECB is to carry out a governance review and that he recognises it is a major problem.
A final question from Clive Efford. He asks about taking away international matches from Yorkshire – does the ECB plan to use major events as leverage to ensure clubs adhere to the ECB’s antidiscrimination code?
Harrison says yes, it is. Botros there are different ways that the ECB can bring sanctions on counties.
Alex Davies-Jones is the final questioner. She asks how the ECB is make sure future changes are not tokenistic.
Harrison gives a pretty impenetrable answer. But adds that the committee meeting this morning as given him hope.
Davies-Jones asks if the ECB is resourced enough to deal with future complaints.
Dickenson says it will get whatever it takes. He says the whole game wants to come together to take action.
Brennan asks about the Essex investigation.
Botros says the ECB will look into the allegations and how the club handle their own investigation.
Brennan asks how the ECB could sanction a process that allowed Yorkshire to withhold their report.
Dickenson said lesson have been learned. We expected to see the report, he says. Harrison says “the handling of the report indicates there are some certain issues around institutional racism at Yorkshire”.
Brennan asks if he agrees with Hutton that Yorkshire is institutionally racist.
Harrison again says “the handling of the report speaks to institutional racism”.
Kevin Brennan now. He points out that Hutton said the ECB had not done enough to combat racism. Was he wrong?
Harrison says “until you’ve eradicated racism you can’t say you’ve done enough”.
Efford mentions the 2014 Fletcher report into racism at Yorkshire.
Harrison says the ECB needs to look into dressing-room culture and the professional game. He’s says there is a “huge focus” on it from the ECB.
Efford asks about the use of “Kevin”. Were the ECB aware of the use of it as a racist term?
Harrison says he became aware of the slur when reading the report.
Clive Efford MP now. He asks what the ECB are hoping to learn from their new Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket.
Miller says people struggle to come forward and that they wanted to set up an independent body that would enable people to do that.
Efford asks about the anti-discrimination code introduced at the start of the 2021 season and why the ECB felt it was needed.
Miller says that it already existed but the ECB felt it needed to be hardened up.
Alan Dickenson says the ECB have a had a long-standing desire to make the game a game for everyone. He says they will be entering partnerships with counties what will allow the ECB to check counties doing what they are should be.
Julian Knight says it’s all very well talking about initiatives and that clearly the ECB are failing.
Harrison says he accepts there is a lot more work to do.
Elliott describes the ECB as “the wild west”. She asks whether it is fit for purpose.
Harrison says yes it is, but “we’ve got a long way to go”.
Updated
Elliott asks whether the ECB should’ve stepped in when Yorkshire appointed a law firm that their chairman used to work for.
Harrison and Botros say they could not intervene in individual parts of the investigation.
Julie Elliott asks whether the ECB’s system – being regulated by an independent committee that the ECB appoints – is appropriate.
Harrison and Botros both struggle to answer.
Damien Green MP asks whether the regulatory function of the ECB should be separate from the promotional function.
Harrison says it brings some significant advantages.
Botros says the ECB recognises the potential conflict and that processes are in place to separate the two arms.
Green admits that parliament isn’t best placed to advise people on how to regulate themselves.
Why is it different with Essex, asks Knight.
Botros says Essex had not launched an investigation, while Yorkshire had already decided to launch an investigation through a law firm.
Knight says asks why Yorkshire were allowed to behave in the fashion they did.
Harrison says Yorkshire were allowed to run their own investigation as that, essentially, was how things were done at the time. He adds that lessons have been learned.
Updated
Knight begins by asking Harrison why did they not step in to carry out the investigation.
Tom Harrison begins by commending Rafiq’s bravery and asks if Dickenson can read a brief statement. He’s told he can’t and he should answer the question.
Harrison says Yorkshire wanted to carry out the investigation themselves. Botros says Hutton wanted the law firm to carry out the investigation and invited the ECB to put someone on the panel.
Knight asks if Hutton has therefore told the truth to the hearing.
Harrison says the ECB were asked whether they would “partner” with Yorkshire in the investigation.
Knight asks the ECB to provide the committee with correspondence over the decision.
Harrison agrees.
ECB chief Harrison and colleagues face questions
The ECB’s representatives have entered the room. The chief executive Tom Harrison, Kate Miller, the chief diversity and communications officer, Meena Botros, the director of legal and integrity, and Alan Dickinson, a non-executive director.
Updated
And that concludes Hutton and Patel’s evidence. There’ll be another two-minute break before Tom Harrison of the ECB joins the panel.
Giles Watling MP now. He asks whether this can be a defining moment, with Yorkshire leading the way.
Lord Patel says that is what he is thinking. He says it’s a watershed moment.
Steve Brine MP takes over the questioning. He asks Hutton to comment on the wider county game.
Hutton says it’s clear from speaking to other chairs that they believe it is a game-wide issue.
Brine asks whether he can name other chairman who feel it is coming down the track for them.
Hutton says he doesn’t want to name names because he only has anecdotal evidence.
Kevin Brennan asks Lord Patel what “White Rose values” means.
“For me it’s about straightforwardness, bluntness, being honest, having pride in being a Yorkshireman and talking with people,” says Patel.
Kevin Brennan asks if Hutton thinks Yorkshire CC is institutionally racist.
Hutton equivocates. But says it falls into the definition.
Brennan asks whether Hutton feels the ECB have done enough.
Hutton says he always felt the ECB could and should have carried out the investigation into Rafiq’s allegations. He says they should have recognised this as an issue they should have got involved with.
Kevin Brennan asks about the report’s terms of reference and whether they were changed.
Hutton says the panel initially asked the investigation to look into two things – Rafiq’s allegations specifically and whether Yorkshire CC was institutionally racist. Hutton says unbeknown to him, the panel then asked those conducting the investigation not to report on whether Yorkshire was institutionally racist.
Efford asks about Yorkshire’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Hutton says the players debated what stance to take and wore a logo on their shirts. He says he wouldn’t say Yorkshire was an outlier in their response to the movement.
Updated
Efford asks if the inquiry was satisfactory.
Hutton says he is glad the inquiry took place but that he doesn’t agree with all its findings and that it was in some ways flawed.
Clive Efford asks Hutton about the way the report was written.
Hutton says he wasn’t sure what to expect.
Efford says it was written in a way so defamatory as to be unpublishable. Was that helpful to Yorkshire?
Hutton says no, it was extremely unhelpful.
Davies-Jones asks Lord Patel about Yorkshire’s future response to allegations.
Patel says they have set up an independent hotline. He says he has reached out to people who have contacted him where appropriate. He says he wants any allegations to be investigated properly.
Davies-Jones asks what Hutton’s reaction to the report into Rafiq’s allegations.
He said he was shocked and surprised.
Would he have done anything differently in terms of releasing the report?
He says the issue was complex. He says they could not under legal advice publish the report in the way they might have liked.
Alex Davies-Jones MP asks whether Hutton was aware of racism at Yorkshire before joining the club.
He said he wasn’t aware of specific examples but was aware of wider, historical issues. He said on joining the club his focus was on improving the culture of the club more broadly rather than with regards to discrimination.
Green asks Patel whether big-name players in the dressing room should be allowed to set the culture.
Patel says they need to be part of the solution.
Green asks Hutton about team selection and the lack of south Asian representation.
Hutton says in his time at the club there were a number of initiatives put forward to improve the situation and that positive steps were being taken.
Green asks Patel if he has the power and authority needed to make the changes required.
Patel says he is days into his tenure and he says he has seen denial but also hard-working people who have given their lives to the club. He sees people who are scared and sadness within the club. “We’re all going to have to go on a journey to change that,” he says. He adds he is prepared to take whatever decision he needs to take to move things forward.
Updated
Damien Green MP takes over questioning. He asks if there is anyone at Yorkshire capable of grasping this nettle?
Hutton says he started his role during the pandemic and says therefore it is hard for him to evaluate. He praises Lord Patel and says there were other executives who were supportive during his time at the club. He says the culture of the club is stuck in the past, and that the CEO resigning won’t change that.
Knight asks Hutton why no players were sacked.
Hutton says he had no executive responsibility in his role. He says with regards to Gary Ballance, the club took advice from lawyers who said there was a need for education and training.
Knight brings Lord Patel, the new Yorkshire chairman, to the front of the room and asks again about the role of the Colin Graves Trust.
Patel says his understanding is that it can be held accountable.
Knight asks about the Colin Graves Trust’s role in the scandal.
Hutton says he could not remove directors without the support of the Trust but they supported those in position. He says he would’ve liked to remove Mark Arthur and Martyn Moxon, not because of the contents of the report but because of their failure to act on the findings of the report. He says the head of HR should also have been removed.
Updated
Knight asks if Hutton regrets not resigning earlier.
“I believed the club’s culture was stuck in the past and didn’t see, in August, my resigning would be the way to change it,” says Hutton. He says resigning at that point would’ve been capitulation rather than making a stand.
Knight asks Hutton for his view on Rafiq’s evidence today.
“Azeem was incredibly powerful, I thought he spoke brilliantly,” says Hutton. “I would repeat my profound apologies.”
Knight asks about the failure of Moxon and Arthur to appear.
Hutton says someone who was at the club during Rafiq’s time at Yorkshire should have attended. He says he met Rafiq for the first time this morning.
He says the CEO (Mark Arthur) asked whether the investigation could be abandoned. He adds that Arthur said he did not want to apologise to Rafiq.
Hutton says there was a “clear resistance” at Yorkshire to see Rafiq as the victim.
Updated
Former Yorkshire chairman Hutton joins hearing
And we’re back. Roger Hutton, the former Yorkshire chairman, has joined the hearing. Julian Knight says Arthur and Moxon were both invited but both chose not to attend.
Updated
That concludes Rafiq’s evidence. There’ll be a two-minute adjournment before Roger Hutton joins the hearing.
Nicholson asks about the effect of Rafiq’s family.
Rafiq says his too young children “haven’t had a Dad really” because his focus has been on this case. He says he hopes today provides some closure.
Nicholson asks whether he feels he lost his career to racism.
Rafiq says he did. “Horrible,” he says. “I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason. Hopefully we’re going to a big change and we’ll see something that’s much bigger than any runs I got or any wickets I got. But it hurts.”
Updated
The final questioner is SNP MP John Nicolson. He asks about the red wine incident.
Rafiq says he was in a car and that no one stepped in to stop what happened. He says he’s angry at himself for looking the other way.
Nicholson says there are plenty of “scoundrels” in his evidence so far. Are there any heroes?
Rafiq mentions Tino Best and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan standing up now. He says no one stood up at the time. There were people who were openly racist and there were the bystanders. “A lot of people watched it happen and not many thought it was important,” he adds.
Updated
Watling asks if the government should intervene in the game and what it should do.
Rafiq says it’s important the government keeps an eye on the game.
Watling asks if the club reaches out to Rafiq, would he be prepared to go back.
Rafiq says the new chairman Lord Kamlesh Patel has proposed a few things. He says in the short term he would like to be on the outside. “I just want to speak about the facts.”
Giles Watling MP asks about Yorkshire saying no individuals would face action.
Rafiq says he was “staggered”. “At what point are these people going to realise what they are doing. I was angry.” Even two weeks ago they thought they could hide this, he says.
Alex Davies-Jones MP takes over questioning. She asks what should Yorkshire/the ECB do?
Rafiq says he doesn’t want to see tokenism from the ECB.
Davies-Jones asks about homophobia and sexism in the game.
Rafiq says the ECB needs to take responsibility for the game. “The action time is now,” he adds.
Rafiq: 'I don’t want my son to go anywhere near the game'
Brine asks what he would say to a youngster in Barnsley today who wants to grow up and play for England?
This is why where we’ve got to is difficult, says Rafiq. “I can’t imagine a parent, hearing me speak today, would want their child to go anywhere near cricket. I don’t want my son to go anywhere near the game. As a parent, I’d say keep an eye on your kids because this is reality. I would not let my kid go there and just leave them in the hands of these people.”
Updated
Azeem Rafiq providing a parable of how racism hurts everyone. Imagine an alternative timeline where all this courage and intelligence didn't have to be expended on pain and bigotry
— Barney Ronay (@barneyronay) November 16, 2021
Brine asks what has the game of cricket missed out on as a result of the racism in the game?
“A lot of talent,” says Rafiq. “And not just Asian cricketers, black cricketers as well. The representation of black cricketers is worrying compared to where it was.”
Steve Brine MP takes over the questioning and asks which other counties have problems with racism, and whether other players from other counties have been in touch?
“I’ve had messages from people at Leicester, at Middlesex, at Nottinghamshire, so from quite a few,” says Rafiq. “Some people are still pretty scared to talk about it. The one reoccurrence was the word ‘Paki’ was used a lot.”
Brine asks if Rafiq has become a mentor for others?
“I want to become the voice for the voiceless, I want to help people who are suffering this,” says Rafiq. “Now I’ve been brave or stupid enough to stand up to an institution, I want to help others.”
Elliott asks about the PCA’s response.
Rafiq says he had a phonecall with a lawyer for three minutes who said he didn’t have a case. He subsequently says he discovered if they had backed him it would’ve used up too much of their budget.
Elliott asks Rafiq to contrast his everyday life to his experiences at Yorkshire.
My everyday life has just been cricket, says Rafiq. Racism in cricket and professional sport is worse than general society. “It’s a cop out to say it’s a societal problem,” says Rafiq.
Julie Elliott MP now. Has anyone reached out privately and apologised?
“Matthew Hoggard phoned me after my Sky interview,” says Rafiq. “He said he didn’t realise and was really sorry. I really appreciated it.”
Efford asks if Rafiq thinks people at the top of Yorkshire CC could have been unaware of the problems with racism.
They could have had that excuse before I spoke to them, says Rafiq, but not afterwards. “I made it perfectly clear,” he adds. “We need to get away from looking for excuses for these individuals.”
Rafiq: neither ECB nor PCA wanted to step in despite pleas for help
Efford asks about the ECB.
Rafiq says he spoke to Tom Harrison. “I felt like he was listening but they took the stance that they were going to trust Yorkshire to do the right thing.” He says he kept begged the ECB and PCA to step in but that neither of the two organisations wanted to. Rafiq says he had dark moments over the winter and at one point the PCA reported him missing. He says he doesn’t think that was done out of concern for his mental health but that they “wanted to tick a box just in case I killed myself”.
Updated
Clive Efford MP takes over the questioning. He asks about Rafiq’s experience at Derbyshire.
“I had the most enjoyable month on loan at Derby,” says Rafiq. “The captain and the coach made me feel welcomed and valued. I have nothing but good things to say about my time at Derby, though I was only there a short time.
Efford asks whether the problems with south Asian representation is peculiar to Yorkshire.
People got sick and tired of not getting opportunities, says Rafiq. It’s on the ECB, he adds, for too long they have not done enough.
Updated
Brennan asks about Rafiq’s sister’s work at Leicestershire.
Rafiq says his family didn’t know what he was going through until last year. He says he has spoken to his sister at length since and has no doubt that racism is a problem up and down the country.
Throughout this process my own community and businesses in Bradford have tried to help Yorkshire cover this up, he says. People just don’t want to listen, he says. “Good people who are not racist just want to look the other way.”
Kevin Brennan MP asks about Michael Vaughan.
Rafiq says he “doesn’t want to make it all about Michael”. “Michael might not remember it because it doesn’t mean anything to him,” he adds.
Here’s our first take of the news so far today:
Green asks about Joe Root’s recent comments.
“Rooty is a good man, he’s never engaged in racist language,” says Rafiq. “I found [his comments] hurtful. He was Gary’s flatmate. He was involved in social nights out during which I was called a Paki. He might not remember [the incidents of racism] but it shows how normal it was that even a good man like him doesn’t see it for what it is.”
Updated
Green asks if racism is institutional in cricket.
Yes, says Rafiq. It’s not just at Yorkshire, he says – the ECB has to take a bit of responsibility. “This is a problem up and down the country.” He says the ECB need to stop “palming off responsibilities”.
Updated
Damien Green MP now. He asks why did Rafiq return to Yorkshire after leaving once?
Rafiq says he knew something wasnt right in first spell but wasn’t sure what it was. He says he was in denial right up to 2017. He says Derbyshire couldn’t offer him a contract and he was struggling to put food on the table.
Simon Jupp resumes. He asks about the response on social media.
Rafiq says all he wanted was acceptance, an apology and to work to make sure his situation didn’t happen again. He says he was met by denials. “Social media was my voice. I was determined to become a voice for the voiceless. A professional player messaged me to say ‘You’ve done what we all wanted to do but didn’t have the balls to do it.’ My family has been abused, I’ve been abused. I can take it and I will take it because it’s something I’m passionate about. If Yorkshire had seen this as a chance to become leaders in this space it could have gone very differently.”
Azeem Rafiq's evidence is deeply harrowing. It's not just the racism he suffered either, it is the way he was treated by Yorkshire after he lost his son. "I've just carried my son from the hospital to the graveyard and how I am getting treated there is just not right," he says
— Sean Ingle (@seaningle) November 16, 2021
Conservative Simon Jupp MP takes over the questioning. He asks about the delay in the allegations being made.
Rafiq says he was encouraged to sign a confidentiality agreement before leaving Yorkshire. He says he wasn’t in the right frame of mind at the time and he left the country, went to Pakistan, and that he never wanted to come back.
Jupp asks how he summoned the strength to do this.
I’ve got a bit of Karachi and a bit of Barnsley in me, says Rafiq. “I don’t know how I’ve done it, I really don’t …”
A tearful Rafiq can’t go on, so the meeting his adjourned for a few minutes.
Updated
Knight asks about the lack of south Asian representation in the Yorkshire squad.
Rafiq says the lack of players is “scary”. “As I’ve seen over the last 15 months, if you speak out your life is going to be made hell.”
Knight asks about the allegations that have emerged at other clubs.
Rafiq says the problem is widespread. British Asian representation in cricket since 2010 has dropped by 40%. He says many of the ECB’s initiatives to tackle racism are box-ticking and focussed on grassroots rather than in the professional game.
Updated
Tell us about Kevin and Steve, says Knight.
Rafiq says Yorkshire players, media, the club, commentators joined in calling Cheteshwar Pujara “Steve” while at the club.
“Kevin” was something Ballance used to describe anyone of colour, says Rafiq. This was widely known, he adds. He says Alex Hales, Ballance’s friend and teammate, went on to name his dog “Kevin”, because the dog was black.
Updated
Rafiq says he had wine poured down his throat as 15-year-old player
Knight says the report mentions Rafiq’s drinking.
Rafiq says he did things he isn’t proud of to fit in but says it has nothing to do with racism.
Knight asks if he was ever forced to drink under the age of 18.
Rafiq says he was pinned down as a 15-year-old in club cricket and had red wine poured down his throat. He says a player who played for Yorkshire and Hampshire was involved.
Updated
Knight: what are your views of the report and how it was handled? (Knight describes the report as a “venn diagram of stupidity”)
Rafiq says he only got it a week ago, and says it seems others got it before him (referring to Vaughan’s column in the Daily Telegraph). He says he wanted to see if his experience could help others. Institutional racism isn’t something anyone wants to be associated with. Says the lawyers who conducted the report were “brilliant” at the start but when they got his evidence things changed, making it about individuals rather than the club.
“To be clear,” says Rafiq, “Paki is not banter, racism is not banter.”
Updated
Knight: the attitude of Yorkshire changed when you made a complaint?
Rafiq says board minutes show he was considered a leader, a future captain. He made a complaint about Tim Bresnan, and things changed.
After the stillbirth of his son he says Martyn Moxon “tore a strip” off him. Rafiq says he had never seen him talk to anyone like that before.
Updated
Knight asks about Gary Ballance. Rafiq says their relationship started to deteriorate due to his conduct. His says Ballance’s behaviour grew “disgusting”. He describes the atmosphere in the dressing room under Ballance as “toxic”.
Rafiq continues on his second spell with the club: “Andrew Gale came in as coach, Gary Ballance as captain, and the temperature changed. I felt isolated. Ballance came over and said: “Why are you talking to him, he’s not a Sheikh, he hasn’t got oil.”
Everyone saw it, says Rafiq. No one did anything about it.
He says his treatment by the club was “inhuman” during the difficult pregnancy of his son, then has to pause.
Updated
Q: What went wrong at Yorkshire for you?
Rafiq: Pretty early on I joined a dressing room full of my heroes, Michael Vaughan. Matthew Hoggard, it was a surreal moment for me. From early on there was a lot of “You lot sit over there near the toilets”, the word Paki was used constantly, no one ever stamped it out. All I wanted to do was play cricket.
Towards the end of my first spell but constantly throughout I knew there was something wrong. I started taking medication for my mental health. It was really tough.
DCMS chair Julian Knight MP welcomes everyone to the committee and says he had “widespread refusals” from people asked to give evidence. Azeem Rafiq is in place and ready to go.
As ever with these things, it looks like we’re not going to start absolutely on time. Hopefully the delay will only be a minute or two.
Tanya Aldred’s profile in the Observer on Sunday outlines Rafiq’s remarkable career:
His evidence today is certain to make deeply uncomfortable viewing for many in the sport. Parliamentary privilege means he is free to talk about all of his complaints without fear of legal reprisal. He has previously indicated he is ready to name names.
This timeline from PA Media helps illustrate Azeem Rafiq’s long road to this point:
2 September 2020 In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, former England Under-19 captain Rafiq reveals: “I know how close I was to committing suicide during my time at Yorkshire” over what he describes as “institutional racism” at the county.
3 September Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton confirms a formal investigation into Rafiq’s claims will “start in a matter of days” and be conducted “thoroughly, impartially and with urgency”.
18 August 2021 ECB chair Ian Watmore calls on Yorkshire to provide a copy of the investigation’s findings after he confirms the independent enquiry had sent its conclusions to the county, with Rafiq revealing his exasperation with the continued delays to the process.
19 August Rafiq accuses Yorkshire of “fudging” his claims of institutional racism after the county apologise to the former spinner for being the “victim of inappropriate behaviour” but insist “many of the allegations were not upheld” in a lengthy statement.
10 September Yorkshire release a summarised version of their independent report, where they apologise and accept Rafiq had been the victim of “racial harassment and bullying” in his two spells at the club between 2008 and 2018, but after only seven of Rafiq’s 43 allegations were upheld the county insist there is insufficient evidence to prove or disprove institutionalised racism.
7 October A spokesperson for Rafiq accuses Yorkshire of “protecting the players and a coach who they now acknowledge used either racist language or were bullying” with the full report still not published.
28 October Yorkshire announce no individuals will face disciplinary action despite seven of Rafiq’s allegations being upheld.
2 November ESPNcricinfo reveals details of the report into Rafiq’s claims, which includes the admission of one senior player that he used the P-word reference to Rafiq, but Yorkshire conclude the incidents in question amounted to “friendly banter”.
3 November Emerald Group Publishing, Yorkshire Tea and Anchor Butter all end their association with Yorkshire over the handling of Rafiq’s allegations. Meanwhile, former England batter Gary Ballance reveals he used “a racial slur” against Rafiq but claimed both men “said things privately to each other which were not acceptable”.
4 November The ECB suspends Yorkshire from hosting international or major matches, while Ballance is “suspended indefinitely” from England selection.
5 November Ahead of an emergency board meeting Hutton resigns as Yorkshire chairman, calling on the executive board to follow suit and saying he was “saddened” after claiming the ECB declined to help in their enquiry. Former Yorkshire all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan claims he heard former England captain Michael Vaughan make inappropriate comments to Asian players at the club, something which Rafiq had also alleged and which Vaughan denies.
11 November Mark Arthur resigns as Yorkshire’s chief executive.
15 November Adil Rashid joins Rana in backing Rafiq’s claim related to Vaughan. The trio allege Vaughan said in front of a group of Yorkshire players of Asian ethnicity: “Too many of your lot, we need to do something about it.”
Good morning
Hello and welcome to live coverage of today’s digital, culture, media and sport committee hearing called to examine Yorkshire’s county cricket club’s response to the racism allegations made by Azeem Rafiq.
The hearing begins at 9.30am GMT with Rafiq’s evidence; Roger Hutton, Yorkshire’s former chairman, is expected at around 10.15am, and the ECB chief executive Tom Harrison at 11.15am. Other ECB representatives are also scheduled to appear: Kate Miller, the chief diversity and communications officer; Meena Botros, the director of legal and integrity, and Alan Dickinson, a non-executive director.
This, from Ali Martin’s explainer, outlines why we are here today:
In 2020 Azeem Rafiq went public with allegations of the racism he says he experienced while a player at Yorkshire during two spells from 2008 to 2014 and 2016 to 2018. This prompted a 12-month investigation by the club, with a summary of the resulting report released in September upholding seven of Rafiq’s 43 claims and confirming he was the victim of “racial harassment” in his first spell and bullying during the second.
Despite a conclusion that the club failed to properly escalate his initial complaints in 2018 as per its own policies, the club announced on 28 October that no action would be taken against any current employee. This, plus a leaked element of the still unpublished report that showed the panel considered the use of the P-word towards Rafiq to be “in the spirit of friendly banter”, prompted a raft of MPs to voice their displeasure earlier this month and saw Julian Knight, chair of the digital, culture, media and sport select committee, set up Tuesday’s hearing to get to the bottom of the issue.
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