Former Yorkshire player Azim Rafique on Tuesday told a British parliamentary committee of “inhuman” treatment at the cricket club and called the game in England riddled with racism.
Read also: Key statements of Azeem Rafiq’s testimony in the parliamentary hearing
In more than an hour of questioning by Members of Parliament, 30-year-old Rafiq, an offspin bowler and former England Under-19 captain of Pakistani origin, listed a harmful culture of racism widespread in Yorkshire.
Rafiq said that he and other players with Asian backgrounds faced comments like “You lot sit over there” and were regularly called “pakis”. “I felt isolated, humiliated at times,” he said in an emotional testimony to the parliamentary Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) panel.
This scam has rocked the English game, Price Yorkshire gets the right to host England’s international matches, saw the club’s top officials leave, and Engaged with former England captain Michael Vaughan and current England captain Joe Root.
Rafiq, who played for Yorkshire from 2008–14 and again from 2016–18, reported that red wine was poured down his throat at the age of 15 and Asian players were blamed for mistakes during the fast.
He spoke of being “ripped to bite” by former coach Martin Moxon on the first day after the death of his child.
He also said that the racism he endured in Yorkshire was “without a doubt” repeated across the country, adding that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) compared box-ticking to increasing the number of South Asian players. More concerned with exercise. ,
Former Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison were to answer questions later.
Hutton resigns after criticism of Yorkshire’s behavior Regarding investigation of claims made by Rafiq for the first time in 2020. Hutton later said in his resignation that there was a persistent reluctance from members of Yorkshire’s hierarchy to “apologise and accept racism and look ahead”.
‘Racism is not a joke’
Yorkshire have been relegated as hosts of international matches and have lost major sponsors.
New club president Kamlesh Patel has apologized, praised Rafiq’s courage and promised “seismic change”.
Rafiq did not reveal anything about his experiences at the club. He described the dressing room environment under former captain Gary Ballance as ‘toxic’.
“Andrew Gayle came in as coach, Gary Balance as captain, and the temperature turned. I felt isolated. On the tour, Gary Ballance stepped forward and said: ‘Why are you talking to him?’ I went to the back of a corner shop and asked if my uncle had it.”
“(Yorkshire director of cricket) Martin Moxon and (head coach) Andrew Gayle were there. It never got stamped.
“In 2017 we went through a difficult pregnancy and the treatment I received was inhumane,” Rafiq frowned and broke down.
Yorkshire said last week that Moxon was absent from work due to a “stress-related illness”, while Gayle was suspended for an alleged anti-Semitic tweet sent in 2010.
Balance, who played 23 Tests for England, described Rafiq as “his best partner in cricket”, but admitted that he used racial slurs and regretted his actions.
Rafiq said, “Pakistan is not a joke, racism is not a joke.”
Rafiq also said that he was “suppressed” at age 15 and had red wine “sprung” down his throat, while Gail and Moxon showed no mercy after the stillbirth of their son.
Asked about the scale of the problem in English professional cricket, Rafique said: “It is scary. It is clear that there is a problem. Everyone has known it for a very long time.
“It’s an open secret. I’ve seen that if you speak up, your life becomes hell.”
Some of the big names in English cricket have been dragged into controversies.
Rafiq says former England captain Vaughan told him and two other players of Asian descent that “there were too many of you guys, we need to do something about it” before a match in 2009.
Vaughan denies this.
Rafiq said, “It was a long time ago. They might not remember it because it doesn’t matter to them.”
Rafiq also expressed grief over the fact that current England captain Root, the Yorkshire player, said that he had never personally seen racism at the club.
“Ruty is a good person,” he told the legislators on Tuesday.
“He never used racist language. Maybe he didn’t remember it, but it shows the institution that a good man like him can’t remember those things.”
Azim Rafiq said, racism is rampant in English cricket; Talks of ‘inhuman’ treatment in Yorkshire
Former Yorkshire spinner calls British parliamentary panel ‘unbearable disgrace’
Former Yorkshire player Azim Rafique on Tuesday told a British parliamentary committee of “inhuman” treatment at the cricket club and called the game in England riddled with racism.
Read also: Key statements of Azeem Rafiq’s testimony in the parliamentary hearing
In more than an hour of questioning by Members of Parliament, 30-year-old Rafiq, an offspin bowler and former England Under-19 captain of Pakistani origin, listed a harmful culture of racism widespread in Yorkshire.
Rafiq said that he and other players with Asian backgrounds faced comments like “You lot sit over there” and were regularly called “pakis”. “I felt isolated, humiliated at times,” he said in an emotional testimony to the parliamentary Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) panel.
This scam has rocked the English game, Price Yorkshire gets the right to host England’s international matches, saw the club’s top officials leave, and Engaged with former England captain Michael Vaughan and current England captain Joe Root.
Rafiq, who played for Yorkshire from 2008–14 and again from 2016–18, reported that red wine was poured down his throat at the age of 15 and Asian players were blamed for mistakes during the fast.
He spoke of being “ripped to bite” by former coach Martin Moxon on the first day after the death of his child.
He also said that the racism he endured in Yorkshire was “without a doubt” repeated across the country, adding that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) compared box-ticking to increasing the number of South Asian players. More concerned with exercise. ,
Former Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison were to answer questions later.
Hutton resigns after criticism of Yorkshire’s behavior Regarding investigation of claims made by Rafiq for the first time in 2020. Hutton later said in his resignation that there was a persistent reluctance from members of Yorkshire’s hierarchy to “apologise and accept racism and look ahead”.
‘Racism is not a joke’
Yorkshire have been relegated as hosts of international matches and have lost major sponsors.
New club president Kamlesh Patel has apologized, praised Rafiq’s courage and promised “seismic change”.
Rafiq did not reveal anything about his experiences at the club. He described the dressing room environment under former captain Gary Ballance as ‘toxic’.
“Andrew Gayle came in as coach, Gary Balance as captain, and the temperature turned. I felt isolated. On the tour, Gary Ballance stepped forward and said: ‘Why are you talking to him?’ I went to the back of a corner shop and asked if my uncle had it.”
“(Yorkshire director of cricket) Martin Moxon and (head coach) Andrew Gayle were there. It never got stamped.
“In 2017 we went through a difficult pregnancy and the treatment I received was inhumane,” Rafiq frowned and broke down.
Yorkshire said last week that Moxon was absent from work due to a “stress-related illness”, while Gayle was suspended for an alleged anti-Semitic tweet sent in 2010.
Balance, who played 23 Tests for England, described Rafiq as “his best partner in cricket”, but admitted that he used racial slurs and regretted his actions.
Rafiq said, “Pakistan is not a joke, racism is not a joke.”
Rafiq also said that he was “suppressed” at age 15 and had red wine “sprung” down his throat, while Gail and Moxon showed no mercy after the stillbirth of their son.
Asked about the scale of the problem in English professional cricket, Rafique said: “It is scary. It is clear that there is a problem. Everyone has known it for a very long time.
“It’s an open secret. I’ve seen that if you speak up, your life becomes hell.”
Some of the big names in English cricket have been dragged into controversies.
Rafiq says former England captain Vaughan told him and two other players of Asian descent that “there were too many of you guys, we need to do something about it” before a match in 2009.
Vaughan denies this.
Rafiq said, “It was a long time ago. They might not remember it because it doesn’t matter to them.”
Rafiq also expressed grief over the fact that current England captain Root, the Yorkshire player, said that he had never personally seen racism at the club.
“Ruty is a good person,” he told the legislators on Tuesday.
“He never used racist language. Maybe he didn’t remember it, but it shows the institution that a good man like him can’t remember those things.”
,