‘Cricket is very much in denial’ – Former English bowler over racism in the sport

Former Yorkshire spinner, Azeem Rafiq came up with a huge claim regarding racism in cricket that drove him out of the tournament. This bowler represented England in his under-15s, 17s, and 19s. He even played for Yorkshire and Yorkshire 2nd XI. However, he has now raised his voice regarding racism.

On 13 December 2022, Azeem Rafiq appeared before the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport select committee. There, he shared the racism he faced when he was playing for Yorkshire. Azeem said that due to racism only, he and his family have been driven out of the country and currently, they have relocated to Pakistan.

“There are still a group of people out there who feel like cricket is the victim in this.” – Azeem Rafiq

The Karachi-born cricketer said: “If I was to look at 13 months on from me opening my heart out, all that’s changed really is that me and my family have been driven out of the country. And that’s a sad element of it. I would love to come here and tell you how much cricket has changed, but unfortunately what it feels like is that cricket is very much in denial.”

“There are still a group of people out there who feel like cricket is the victim in this. The way I’ve been attacked and abused, why would you speak out? I’ve got a little hope in the new (ECB) leadership, but it’s very little at the minute,” he added.

“In an ideal world, an independent regulator would be excellent. I suppose if I am realistic, the time it would take to put in primary legislation, to set up a system, we’d end up navel-gazing for years. But should the CDC (Cricket Discipline Commission) and the ECB change? Absolutely,” Azeem Rafiq concluded. However, Lord Patel also said: “If I was attacked in the press or if cricket leaders or previous cricket leaders made unsubstantiated statements, nothing was done. I asked in writing, and I have email after email, letter after letter, saying ‘you asked me to do this, I’ve done this, please support me’ and I have no response to any of those letters and emails. So it was very distressing.”