FIRST STEP ON LONG ROAD
New chairman spells out determination to bring lasting change to county
LORD KAMLESH PATEL said sorry yesterday. It was a vital first step. But now the hard work begins. After his opening address as the new chairman of Yorkshire Cricket Club, he left Headingley for the first meeting of many with a major sponsor.
It will not have been an easy pitch or a comfortable experience given accusations of institutional racism have rendered the club a toxic brand.
But the financial challenges facing Yorkshire, including the loss of sponsors and international cricket estimated at £6.5million and counting, are not even half of the problem.
As Patel put it, effecting lasting change at a club which has refused to accept it even has a problem, despite all evidence presented to the contrary, is the bigger issue.
“I’m determined to make this club the beating heart of English cricket again,” said Patel, who eased into the hottest seat in sport on Friday. “After 158 years we are ready to change, accept the past and become a club people can trust to do the right thing.
“I have been apointed to see if this club is institutionally racist and what we can do about that. As an outsider coming in, it is clear the investigation was flawed and we have handled it badly.
“It is how, as a club, we deal with issues going forward now. But clearly there is a problem.”
To say that Patel’s remit is complicated is an understatement on a grand scale.
Avoiding financial oblivion by reclaiming sponsors and having the ECB reinstate their right to host a Test match against New Zealand and a one-dayer against South Africa next summer is a short-term issue.
But to achieve that, he has to prove that lasting and meaningful change has been made at the club, which is by its nature a longer-term job.
Removing the immediate international future of the biggest county club in cricket – in terms of size, history and grassroots involvement – would be tantamount to crushing a club already running debts of £18m.
Patel said: “We are under strain and that’s why I’m going to be going hell for leather to get sponsors and international cricket back here. But we need to get the assurances the ECB need in place and need to get them in place as soon as possible.”
Patel’s first actions have been to meet with Azeem Rafiq and hear his side of the story. With a lifetime in social work, the new chairman
This will be a zero-tolerance club. I’ll fail if it is not
admitted listening to all parties affected, including accused players and coaches, was a priority.
Yorkshire have also settled Rafiq’s employment tribunal claim immediately, set up a whistleblower hotline to elicit further testimony and complaint, and promised to overhaul their internal processes for dealing with bullying, racism or discrimination allegations.
Patel said: “I urge others to come forward and share their experience.
“We are ready to listen, ready to believe and ready to change. This will be a zero-tolerance club. I will fail miserably if it is not.
“Everybody is going to have to understand. My belief is we have to take people on a journey and you must be willing to take part in it.
“I believe everybody can change but if someone here has done wrong and thinks that P*** or any other such word is banter, then the front door is down there.”