Gary Ballance has issued an unreserved apology to Azeem Rafiq for using "unacceptable" and "racist" language towards him during their time as teammates at Yorkshire.
Ballance is one of seven individuals who have been charged by the ECB with bringing the game into disrepute over the Yorkshire racism scandal, with an independent investigation finding that Rafiq was a victim of "racial harassment and bullying" during his time at Headingley.
The pair met in-person earlier this week and Ballance extended an apology to Rafiq, stating that he wants to now "play my part in ridding the game from racism and make it more inclusive". In a statement, Ballance said: "I have wanted to meet Azeem in person for quite some time, but I had to make sure I was in a good place when I did so.
"Azeem has been through similar mental health challenges and understands why this has taken me a little time. I apologise unreservedly to Azeem for the words I used when we played together. I did use unacceptable - at times, racist - language.
"If I had realised how much this hurt Azeem, I would have stopped immediately. That's why I wanted to meet him this week and be clear in person that I intended no malice. That's not an excuse, I realise that the language I used was wrong.
"I have accepted, from the outset, the words I used were wrong and I hope this statement brings Azeem some comfort. There is no place in our sport for this behaviour and I am determined to play my part in ridding the game from racism and make it more inclusive. To do this we all need to be honest and learn from our past mistakes."
Rafiq, meanwhile, has accepted Ballance's apology and believes he is "now part of the solution". He also hopes that Ballance can resume his playing career at Yorkshire, with the 32-year-old still under contract at the county.
"From day one of opening up about my experiences, all I ever wanted was acceptance and apologies for what happened," Rafiq said. "Gary has been brave to admit the truth and I understand why the mental strain has made it difficult for him to make this apology any sooner.
"Gary must be applauded for his honesty and unreserved apology and must now be allowed to get on with his life. Gary got things wrong, so did many people. The main issue is cricket's institutional racism. Gary's courage means he is now part of the solution. I hope he can be allowed to get on with his cricket.
"I would like to thank Gary. He has done cricket and the fight against racism a great service with these words. I would also like to thank those who have been in contact with me privately to apologise for what they witnessed. It's a good time for those who were bystanders to reflect on whether they could have done the same or even spoken publicly about what they saw."
