English cricket’s governing body will create an anti-discrimination unit and review dressing-room culture in response to recent revelations about racism in the sport.
England and Wales Cricket The board on Friday released its comprehensive plan to address issues raised by whistleblower Azeem Rafiq, who testified at a parliamentary hearing about racism while playing in Yorkshire.
“For cricket to truly ‘connect communities and improve lives’ – our stated aim at the ECB – we must begin by acknowledging that it is not enough, both inside our own walls and in the wider game, to improve our game. ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said in the announcement.
“This is the only possible response to the powerful testimony of Azeem Rafiq and others in recent weeks,” he said.
Former England Under-19 captain Rafiq testified through tears about his experiences of racism and bullying while playing for Yorkshire – England’s most successful cricket club.
Their complaints reached the British Parliament after Yorkshire reported their allegations of some misbehavior were dismissed as “friendly jokes” and not an immediate departure from the club’s hierarchy.
The ECB’s plan, which had input from every level of English cricket, involves taking a standardized approach to “reporting, investigating, and responding to complaints, allegations, and whistleblowing throughout the game.”
There will be a thorough review of the “dressing-room culture in all men’s and women’s professional teams, both domestic and international,” and a new program of player and coach education will be designed to address the gaps identified by the review.
The plan includes a commitment of 25 million pounds ($33.3 million) over five years to support actions to improve equality, diversity and inclusion.
One goal would be to improve boardroom diversity, as would helping people from diverse backgrounds progress into professional teams through scouting and with “support programs targeted to players from diverse or less-privileged backgrounds.”
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The crowd behavior will also receive a “full-scale review” ahead of the 2022 season.
“Our role as the ECB will now be to acknowledge the changes that need to be made internally, as well as offer the support, resources and money to assist the sport in making these changes,” Harrison said. said.
Rafiq testified that Yorkshire teammates had used an offensive term in reference to his Pakistani heritage and that the 33-time English County Championship winners’ leadership failed to act on racism.
Rafiq said he felt “isolated, at times humiliated” by his treatment at Yorkshire during two spells he played for the club from 2008 to 2018.
The ECB then suspended Yorkshire from hosting international matches over a “totally unacceptable” reaction to the racism faced by Rafiq, while kit supplier Nike ended its sponsorship.
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Rafiq’s allegations sparked similar complaints from other players and exposed other historical cases.
Two former Essex players recently said they had been racially abused at a club whose president resigned over his use of racist language at a board meeting four years ago.
Days after the parliamentary hearing, Rafiq himself apologized after admitting to sending anti-Semitic messages 10 years earlier.
A week ago, cricketer Alex Hales apologized after publishing a photo showing Tupac Shakur in blackface at a party in 2009.
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