COUNTY CLUB Essex has said that it will improve ‘cultural education’ of players after the ‘beer pouring’ incident at Lord’s.
Essex player Will Buttleman poured beer over his Muslim team-mate Feroze Khushi on Sunday(27) during the Bob Willis Trophy celebrations.
Khushi, 21, was 12th man in the final in which Essex defeated Somerset.
He made his first-team debut last month but did not play in the BWT final against Somerset. The youngster appeared uncomfortable as Buttleman sprayed alcohol over him.
Following protest from the cricket community, the club said that the celebrations did not meet their “inclusive values”. However, it failed to provide an apology.
“Essex prides themselves on their work within multi-diverse communities throughout the county and the surrounding areas,” the club said.
“For a substantial period of time, Essex have had a multi-diverse team with players from different backgrounds, religions, and races, where cricket is at the heart of these communities.
According to the club, further work needs to be done across both sport and society in general, to widen people’s knowledge and make them more aware of cultural differences.
It should be noted that after England’s World Cup victory in 2019, other players waited for Muslims Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid to step away before spraying champagne.
Sajid Patel, co-founder of the National Cricket League in Essex and East London, described the pictures as “offensive”.
“There has got to be more education – not just at Essex, but across the spectrum at county level. England have been doing the right thing, but all sports need to be better.”
A photo of the incident provoked anger in East London’s British-Asian cricket community, reported the Daily Mail.
The incident took place at a sensitive time for race relations in English cricket, after a summer in which several members of the game’s past and present BAME community have spoken out about their experiences in county dressing-rooms.
Last week, Sportsmail revealed the alarming lack of non-white faces among both playing and backroom staff and in administrative roles.
The ECB declined to comment on the ‘beer pouring’ incident.
