Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

English cricket on a sticky wicket

According to the report, ethnic diversity diminished in the men's professional game over the past 30 years and has never been high in the women's game

English cricket on a sticky wicket

THE head of English cricket has admitted to Eastern Eye that the game is in an “appalling position” after a damning report found the sport was beset with racism and misogyny.

Cricket boards were accused of failing to prevent “structural and institutional racism, sexism and class-based discrimination,” in a report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) on Tuesday (27).


“This report has been two and-a-half years in the making. You can see in the level of determination, time and money we’re going to spend going forward to try and make sure we can deliver the solutions you want to see,” Richard Gould, the CEO of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), told Eastern Eye.

According to the report, ethnic diversity diminished in the men’s professional game over the past 30 years and has never been high in the women’s game.

In the UK, only four per cent of professional cricketers are from a south Asian background, though they make up more than 30 per cent of grassroots players.

Asked by Eastern Eye if the ECB was guilty of burying its head in the sand and ignoring these figures – which indicated deep-rooted issues within the game – Gould said: “We fully agree with what you are saying, and we apologise. On behalf of the ECB, once again, we apologise.

“We will now work hard to ensure we can recover from this appalling position. We will make sure that through every pathway, in every county, in every club that we’ve got, our teams reflect the gender and ethnicity of their regions.”

The ECB set up the ICEC in 2021 to look at issues of diversity, inclusion and equality following the racism scandal involving former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq.

Pakistan-born bowler Rafiq in September 2020 went public with allegations of racism and bullying relating to his two spells at Yorkshire. He subsequently gave evidence to a digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) investigation.

Six ex-Yorkshire players were found guilty of using racist language in the Rafiq case, and were last month fined by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC).

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was cleared of using racist language “on the balance of probabilities” after opting to defend himself at a hearing in March.

The ICEC’s report came after Rafiq’s testimony to the DCMS and the tidal wave of racism cases that followed.

Of the more than 4,000 individuals interviewed for the report, 50 per cent described experiencing discrimination in the previous five years, with the figures higher for people from ethnic groups.

The report found that 87 per cent of people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage, 82 per cent of people with Indian heritage and 75 per cent of all black respondents had experienced discrimination in the past five years.

Cindy Butts, the ICEC chair, revealed a that a Muslim former player had to endure the indignity of his teammates laughing and joking about one of the players using his prayer mat to clean up after sex.

She described the “routine” use of racial slurs, including one 13-year-old on a talent pathway being racially abused and told to “go back home”.

An Asian player told how he and a teammate had been “called terrorists”, and after complaining, was accused of “attempting to defame” the club in question.

Butts described the stories as “horrific” and said they showed that the culture in cricket was “rotten”.

Women were often treated as “second-class citizens”, the report found. It added that not enough had been done to address class barriers, with private schools dominating the pathway into cricket.

“Our findings are unequivocal,” said Butts. “Racism, class-based discrimination, elitism and sexism are widespread and deep-rooted. The game must face up to the fact that it’s not banter or just a few bad apples. Discrimination is both overt and baked into the structures and processes within cricket.”

A total of 44 recommendations have been made, including that the ECB should commit to be an anti-racist, antisexist and anti-classist organisation and publish a state of equity in cricket report every three years.

“The persistence of interpersonal and structural racism in cricket is due, we believe, in part to a failure by the ECB to specifically and unambiguously name racism as a concern, at least until the recent crisis,” said the report. “Racism remains a widespread and serious problem in cricket across England and Wales, and something the ECB and the wider game should address with urgency.”

Gould said the ECB will use this moment to “reset cricket”.

The ICEC report also found the game to have “elitism and class-based discrimination” which it blamed partly on a lack of cricket in state schools and a talent pathway aligned to private schools.

Some 58 per cent of men who played for England in 2021 were privately educated, significantly higher than the seven per cent of the general population who went to private school.

The report recommended the entire talent pathway structure be “overhauled” to make it more inclusive.

On the lack of funding and talent pathways for state schools, Gould said: “This is one of the recommendations in the report. We’ve got to spend the next three months understanding those recommendations and what’s within our resources. And if it’s not within our resources, how can we lobby for it and deliver for it?”

More For You

Modi courts Latin nations to expand trade relations

Christine Kangaloo awards Narendra Modi with the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago last Friday (4)

Modi courts Latin nations to expand trade relations

INDIA’S prime minister, Narendra Modi met Argentine president Javier Milei in Buenos Aires last Saturday (5), urging the expansion of New Delhi’s preferential trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc.

The bilateral talks with Milei were the latest in Modi’s whistle-stop diplomatic tour culminating in the summit of Brics emerging economies which began last Sunday (6) in Brazil.

Keep ReadingShow less
Minister 'open to talks' on British Sikh regiment

Lord Coaker (Photo: UK Parliament)

Minister 'open to talks' on British Sikh regiment

A FRESH parliamentary initiative to establish a dedicated Sikh regiment within the British Army has gained momentum in the House of Lords, with defence minister Lord Coaker expressing willingness to engage in further discussions about the long-debated proposal.

The issue was raised in the House of Lords on Monday (7) by Labour peer Lord Sahota, who asked whether there had been any progress on long-standing calls for a Sikh regiment.

Keep ReadingShow less
Heatwave Alert: Don’t Leave Contraceptives or Medication in Cars

Heat can also damage everyday items like sunglasses, suncream and vape devices

iStock

Drivers warned to remove contraceptives and medication from cars during UK heatwave

Highlights:

  • Experts urge motorists to avoid leaving certain items in vehicles during upcoming heatwave
  • Temperatures expected to rise above 30°C across large parts of the UK
  • Contraceptives and common medications can lose effectiveness in high heat
  • Heat can also damage everyday items like sunglasses, suncream and vape devices

Drivers urged to act as UK braces for extended heatwave

Drivers across the UK are being urged to remove a range of everyday items from their cars ahead of a predicted heatwave, with experts warning that the rising temperatures could pose both safety and health risks.

The Met Office has forecast a prolonged spell of hot weather, with temperatures expected to soar into the low 30s on Thursday and Friday. Much of the UK is likely to hit its regional heatwave threshold by the weekend, with this episode potentially affecting a wider area and lasting longer than previous hot spells.

Keep ReadingShow less
Royal Mail

The Royal Mail logo is seen on the side of a van as the UK government clear a 3.57 billion pound takeover offer by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky in London, December 16, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Ofcom updates Royal Mail delivery targets, starts pricing review

MEDIA regulator Ofcom has set new minimum delivery standards for Royal Mail and revised existing targets in an effort to reduce delays. It also announced a review into pricing and affordability, amid concerns over rising stamp prices.

Royal Mail, which has faced fines of around $20 million over the past two years for not meeting delivery targets, is currently trying to modernise operations and focus more on parcel deliveries.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sheikh Hasina

Hasina left for India at the end of the student-led protests and has not returned to Dhaka, where her trial for alleged crimes against humanity began on June 1. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Leaked audio suggests Hasina ordered use of force during 2024 protests

SOME leaked audio recordings suggest Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently on trial in absentia, ordered a deadly crackdown on protests last year.

According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 when Hasina's government cracked down on demonstrators during an attempt to stay in power.

Keep ReadingShow less