Azeem Rafiq says he “clearly” recalls Michael Vaughan making an alleged racist comment in 2009 despite discrepancies in his evidence.

Ex-England captain Vaughan is accused of saying “there’s too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that” to Rafiq and three other Asian players at Yorkshire before a T20 match.

At a hearing into allegations of racism at Yorkshire on Thursday, the cross-examination of Rafiq by Vaughan’s lawyer focused on why the claim appeared with different wording in other statements.

Rafiq told an independent investigation commissioned by Yorkshire that Vaughan had said: “There’s too many of you lot, we need to do something about it.”

When asked by Vaughan’s lawyer Christopher Stoner KC why there is a discrepancy, Rafiq said: “I don’t have an explanation at all.”

He added it was a “clear mistake” in his statement and interview with law firm Squire Patton Boggs during the initial investigation and that he takes “full responsibility” for it.

However, he said he wanted to make it “very clear” that Vaughan did say the phrase “there’s too many of you lot” and that is the “discriminatory” part of the comment.

“The comment on the day clearly stands out and it still hurts,” he said.

He added the version of the comment “we need to have a word about that” is the correct one, which he first said in an interview with Wisden in August 2020- without initially naming Vaughan – then repeated during the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) investigation.

Vaughan, who is set to give evidence at the hearing on Friday, “completely and categorically” denies the allegation.

England spinner Adil Rashid and former Yorkshire and Pakistan bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan have corroborated the allegation.

The fourth player in the group, former England bowler Ajmal Shahzad had said he has no recollection of it.(BBC Sport)