FORMER Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq says the sport needs outside regulation amid the continued fallout from its racism scandal after he returned to England to testify, saying he feels very little has changed.
The 31-year-old, who has moved to Pakistan, was speaking at a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee over a year on from his previous revelations on racial abuse in the game.
Rafiq’s comments forced mass resignations at Yorkshire, with several players, executives and coaches leaving their roles amid the fallout of his disclosures, some of whom had been sanctioned.
But he says cricket at large remains “in denial”, and that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is in need of an independent body to rule on such matters.
“(The ECB officials) have a difficult situation where in one sense they’re a promoter and need to show the game in a good light, but then you’ve got to regulate on things that don’t make the game look so good,” he stated yesterday.
“It’s become evidently clear that issues of this stature are something that an independent regulator needs to be brought in for.
“Structurally, even if they want to deal with stuff, the structure doesn’t allow them to. It always comes across that the victims are pushing and there’s always an excuse not to act.
“There is still a group of people out there that feel like cricket is the victim in this. The way I have been attacked and abused – why would you (as a victim) speak out?
“Unfortunately what it feels like is that cricket is very much in denial. I would love to come here and tell you how much cricket has changed.
“But if I was to look at 13 months on from me opening my heart out, all that has changed really is that me and my family have been driven out of the country – and that’s a sad element of it.
“I have got a little hope in the new (ECB) leadership, but it is very little at the minute.”
Former England man Gary Ballance – who admitted last year to using racist language in reference to Rafiq – was recently released from his contract with Yorkshire.
Rafiq accepted an apology from Ballance earlier this year and called for the batter to be allowed to move on and continue his career.
Ballance has penned a two-year deal to play domestic cricket in Zimbabwe as well as international cricket for his native country starting next year. He could make his senior debut for the team in a red-ball series with Ireland in January. (Sportsmax)
