ECB must tackle racism to get public funding parliamentary committee

Bucks overwhelm Warriors in first half, cruise to win

LONDON, (Reuters) - Cricket has a deep-seated problem with racism and public funding should be limited unless the game can prove it is cleaning up its act, a British parliamentary committee said in a report published yesterday.

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport parliamentary committee called for quarterly reports and monitoring by indicators developed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

"We recommend that the government ensures that any future public funds for cricket are dependent on continuous, demonstrable progress in getting rid of racism in both the dressing rooms and on the stands," the report said.

It added that both Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the ECB would be invited to give evidence on their progress in early 2022.

Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq has described the sport in England as riddled with racism and appeared before the committee in November to detail the "inhuman" treatment he suffered at county level.

Rafiq, a former England Under-19s captain of Pakistani descent, had previously spoken of being subjected to racial slurs and feeling isolated and humiliated - even considering killing himself.

"I lost my career to racism," he said at the time. Committee chair Julian Knight said Rafiq's testimony convinced members there was "an endemic problem across the whole of cricket".

"We have been shocked by language people used in correspondence with us after the hearing," he added.

"That, together with stories run in the media to discredit him, demonstrate that eradicating racism from the game will be a long and difficult road.

"However, this is a watershed for cricket in this country. Those who love and support the game are part of the solution and must play their part."

Giannis Antetokounmpo notched his third triple-double of the season as the Milwaukee Bucks blew out the visiting Golden State Warriors 118-99 last night to snap a two-game losing streak.

The five-time All-Star produced 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists and shot 11 of 17 shooting to lift Milwaukee to just its second win in six games. Khris Middleton hit five 3-pointers and added 23 points, Bobby Portis chipped in 20 points and seven rebounds and Grayson Allen scored 15.

Shots were falling all night, as the Bucks hit 51.2 percent from the field (44 of 86) and 43.9 percent (18 of 41) from 3-point range.

Andrew Wiggins paced the Warriors with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Jonathan Kuminga tallied 15 points and seven rebounds, and Stephen Curry notched 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Klay Thompson had 11 points. Golden State never held a lead and made good on just 16 of 48 3-point attempts (33.3 percent).

Things quickly spiraled out of control for the Warriors, who went into halftime trailing 77-38. The 39point deficit was the largest the Warriors have faced since the franchise relocated to the Bay Area ahead of the 1962-63 season.

Four Bucks had already scored in double figures by the break, with Milwaukee having shot 63 percent from the field and 10 of 20 from 3-point range. Antetokounmpo nearly recorded 23 points, seven assists and seven rebounds prior to halftime, and Portis added 17 first-half points.

The Warriors made just 5 of 24 shots from behind the arc in the opening two quarters and committed 11 turnovers. Curry led Golden State with nine first-half points, and Wiggins added eight.

--Field Level Media