The new chair of Yorkshire CCC, Harry Chathli, has said that he would be willing to talk to Azeem Rafiq if it meant helping the club to heal.
Chathli, 58, was appointed chair after an extensive recruitment process, which was ratified by members’ vote at September’s extraordinary general meeting. He succeeds the interim chair Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who remains on the board as a non-executive director, and Lord Kamlesh Patel, who stepped down in March. Chathli, who became a non-executive director in June, will serve a three-year term.
“The club has been through a really difficult time and has to find a way of healing itself,” says Chathli, “and if that means talking to Azeem Rafiq then of course I will do that.
“I would say that most of the hard work has already been done. My appointment has come on the back of some really good work by the board over the past 18 months – increased participation from all ethnicities, and in the pathway programme, and the culture of the club has changed dramatically over the last three years.
“It is the most exciting job in English cricket to get into Yorkshire after it comes out of this dark period and tries to get back to the top.”
Chathli was born in India and grew up in Mumbai (then Bombay), coming to the UK in 1980. He founded two successful communications agencies and is an experienced international capital markets expert – financial acumen that is much needed at Headingley.
He is also a lifelong cricket fan, and a keen club player, describing himself to the Yorkshire Post as a “hit and hope” batter. His daughter Kira plays for Surrey, the South East Stars and the Oval Invincibles. He has a clear idea of where he wants the club to be in three years’ time.
“If you want to create an elite pyramid then you need a broad pyramid to do that, and you have two hurdles to overcome: financial and inclusivity. The vision I want is for a club that is financially stable and socially and economically inclusive for everybody.”
Yorkshire are in financial dire straits. The club owes the Graves Trust £14.9m – though the Trust has agreed to postpone a £500,000 payment due this month until next April.
Various proposals have been on the table since the start of year, including bids from Rajasthan Royals and Mike Ashley, and the club hope to have signed an agreement to stabilise the club finances by Christmas.
In July, Yorkshire were handed a £400,000 fine – £300,000 of it suspended for two years – by the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission as a result of allegations of racism and discrimination at the club over a 17-year period. They were also deducted 48-points in the 2023 County Championship, finishing second from bottom.
Chathli is unperturbed. “If you’re a lover of English cricket then you know everything there is to know about Yorkshire – some of the drama is second to none. Yorkshire have won the most number of championships and contributes a significant number of cricketers to England. A strong Yorkshire is a strong England.”
