• Wednesday saw the beginning of a hearing into the racism issue.
• England and Wales Cricket Board filed disrepute allegations.
• Michael Vaughan is still scheduled to appear in court on charges.

Wednesday saw the beginning of a hearing into the racism issue at Yorkshire, with former player Azeem Rafiq scheduled to testify more than two years after he made damning claims about the treatment he received from the English county cricket team.

The independent Cricket Discipline Commission panel’s initial sessions were held in private, but later in the day, a live webcast of the panel’s discussions was scheduled to be made available to accredited journalists.

Rafiq, a 32-year-old man of Pakistani descent, made his first claims of racism and abuse in September 2020 in relation to his two stints at Yorkshire.

In December 2022, he testified before a British parliamentary committee that the persecution he and his family had endured had compelled him to flee the country.

The England and Wales Cricket Board filed disrepute allegations against seven people with historical ties to the county in June of last year, along with charges against the club.

But only former England captain Michael Vaughan is still scheduled to appear in court on charges.

Andrew Gale, Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Richard Pyrah, and John Blain, all ex-players and coaches, have declined to participate in the process.

In their absence, the CDC panel will nonetheless hear the allegations against those five.

Gary Ballance, who is also charged, has already acknowledged using racially offensive comments and won’t show up.

Former England Test player Ballance is now playing for Zimbabwe, the nation where he was born.

Yorkshire stated this week that records pertaining to claims of racism against the club had been erased under the previous administration.

Former Yorkshire authorities received harsh criticism for how they handled Rafiq’s issue; at one point, the ECB threatened to revoke the county’s right to host lucrative England games unless governance reforms were implemented.

Rafiq claims Vaughan told him and a group of Asian-American teammates from Yorkshire that there were “too many of you bunch, we need to do something about it” at a 2009 game.

Although Rafiq’s claim has been supported by current Yorkshire and England player Adil Rashid and former Pakistani paceman Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Vaughan vehemently denies the accusation.

Also Read

Gary Ballance become 2nd Test Batter to get century for two nations

Gary Ballance blasted an unbroken 137 for Zimbabwe. Ballance, who was born...