Cricket to be ‘reset’ after damning report

ECB CHIEF’S APOLOGY FOR RACISM AND SEXISM IN THE GAME

RACISM is entrenched in cricket and women routinely experience sexism and misogyny within the sport, a new report has concluded.

The sport continues to be elitist, with little to no focus given to addressing class barriers, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report ‘Holding Up A Mirror To Cricket,’ said.

More than 4,000 people responded to the ICEC’s call for evidence when it was putting the report together, with one in two saying they had experienced discrimination within the game.

The report made 44 recommendations, including as “an essential first step” a call for the England and Wales Cricket Board to make an unqualified public apology recognising that racism, sexism, elitism and class-based discrimination existed and still exist and recognise the impact of that upon victims.

ECB chair Richard Thompson has apologised and pledged in a letter to ICEC chair Cindy Butts: “We will use this moment to reset cricket.”

The ICEC report, which was commissioned by the ECB in November 2020, found the game’s structures led to racial disparities and discrimination, and that the women’s game was subordinate to the men’s, with women given little power, voice or influence. Butts said women were treated as “secondclass citizens” in the game.

Private schools dominated the talent pathway, with scarce provision of cricket in state schools and substantial cost barriers faced by those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

The report also found cricket’s complaints systems “confusing”, “overly defensive” and “not fit for purpose”. It said victims and those accused of discrimination were not properly supported, with people often “suffering in silence” for fear of victimisation or simply out of a conviction that no action would take place.

The report found game-wide confusion over how the regulatory system in regard to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) worked, and highlighted the ECB’s dual role as a promoter and regulator as a “conflict of interest”.

“Our findings are unequivocal,” Butts said.

“Racism, class-based discrimination, elitism and sexism are widespread and deep-rooted.

“The game must face up to the fact that it’s not banter or just a few bad apples. Discrimination is both overt and baked into the structures and processes within cricket.

“The stark reality is cricket is not a game for everyone.

“Whilst there has been commendable and significant progress in the women’s game, women continue to be treated as second-class citizens with unequal access, pay and treatment. The England Women’s team are yet to play a Test Match at Lord’s, the home of cricket!

“Eighty-seven per cent of Pakistani and Bangladeshi respondents, 82 per cent of Indian respondents and 75 per cent of black respondents to our survey told us they have experienced discrimination, which is simply unacceptable.

“If you attend a state school, you’re less likely to have access to cricket and have the same opportunity to progress in the game as your private school peers.

“For those who do ‘make it’ we were saddened to hear they were sometimes subjected to class-based discrimination. Cricket needs to urgently level the playing field.”

Butts did highlight the report had found “encouraging examples of good practice” and congratulated the ECB for being “brave enough” to commission the report in the first place.