County chief: Cricket’s been torn apart
MEHMOODA Duke has left her role as chair of Leicestershire with immediate effect, saying cricket has been ‘torn apart’ by continuing allegations of racism.
Duke had been due to stand down in March to take up her new role as High Sheriff for the county.
The departure of one of only two people from ethnic minority groups to hold such a role across the first-class counties comes on the eve of the expected publication of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s 12-point action plan to combat racism in the game.
Duke, also the only female chair across the first-class counties, said in a statement: “Cricket has been torn apart by recent events and I am deeply saddened by the hurt felt by individuals within our game.
“With fresh leadership at national level and with a determination to learn from the recent past and move forward, I hope that racism and discrimination will be expunged from the dressing rooms, the fields, and the game as a whole, allowing us to celebrate the diversity which makes cricket and sport in this country so great.”
Officials had been expected to release the 12-point plan yesterday, but the delay is down to clarification of a number of relatively minor details.
The ECB plan is expected to contain demands for a specific minimum of ethnic minority representatives on their respective boards, whilst the Telegraph reported all clubs from grassroots level up will be required to undertake diversity training. It is understood clubs and counties failing to adhere to the new rules risk having their ECB funding revoked.
In a separate development, BT Sport is reviewing plans to use Fox Sports commentary for its Ashes coverage with former England captain Michael Vaughan currently part of the Australian broadcaster’s team.
Vaughan was implicated in allegations of racism made by his former Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq, which the 47-year-old categorically denies as “completely false”.
After being stood down from his BBC radio show earlier this month, Vaughan was subsequently left out of the corporation’s team for the upcoming Ashes tour because of what was described as a potential “conflict of interest”.