ECB bans Yorkshire over racism row

London, November 5

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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has banned Yorkshire from hosting international matches for failing to act on former player Azeem Rafiq’s racial abuse allegations, which were proved to true in an independent inquiry. ECB took the decision a day after Yorkshire player Gary Ballance admitted using a racial slur against his ex-teammate Rafiq.

ECB also banned Ballance from England selection for an indefinite period. While admitting his guilt, Ballance had said that “this was a situation where best friends said offensive things to each other which, outside of that context, would be considered wholly inappropriate”.

YCCC had recently concluded that no employees would face any action over Rafiq’s claims of institutional racism, leading to major sponsors abandoning deals over the handling of the case.

YCCC chairman Roger Hutton resigned today.

Rafiq, a former England under-19 captain, said in interviews last year that as a Muslim he was made to feel like an outsider during his time at Yorkshire in 2008-18 and that he was close to taking his own life. Rafiq made 43 allegations relating to his time at Yorkshire, of which seven were upheld by an independent panel.

Vaughan pleads innocence

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has revealed that he too had been accused of racist behaviour by Rafiq, an allegation he denied. — Agencies

Matches in jeopardy

YCCC’s home ground Headingley is due to host the third Test against New Zealand in June next year, as well as an ODI against South Africa and the potential for knockout fixtures in the Hundred, as the host venue of Northern Superchargers. They were also scheduled to host an Ashes Test in 2023. All these games are now in jeopardy.