Yorkshire to investigate Rafiq’s claim of racism

Yorkshire intend to conduct a formal investigation into Azeem R afiq’s accusation the club are “institutionally racist” after the former England Under-19 captain revealed the matter left him on the brink of taking his own life.

Ra fiq had two stints at Headingley between 2008 and 2018, and after leading Yorkshire in a Twenty 20 game against Durham in 2012, he became, at 21, the youngest player to captain the county.

He was released in 2018 for a second time and has walked away from cricket but in an inter view with Espncricinfo, the former off-spinner said that, as a Muslim, he was made to feel like an “outsider”.

“I know how close I was to committing suicide during my time at Yorkshire,” he said. “I was living my family’s dream as a professional cricketer, but inside I was dying. I was dreading going to work. I was in pain every day.

“There were times I did things to try and fit in that, as a Muslim, I now look back on and regret. I’ m not proud of it at all. But as soon as I stopped trying to fit in, I was an outsider.

“I believe the club is institutionally racist and I don’t believe they are prepared to acknowledge the fact or willing to change. My only motivation now is to prevent anyone else feeling the same pain.”

Responding to the claim, Yorkshire initially said Hanif Malik, a board member and chair of Yorkshire’s Equality and Diversity Committee, had been in touch with their 29- yearold former player and would relay his findings.

The club went further yesterday, saying the decision was made at the start of the week to launch an official investigation into the matter and they are in the process of finalising the structure of the review.

Yorkshire added they will be making contact with “impartial external parties… to ensure complete transparency”.

Chairman Roger Hutton said: “Any allegation of this nature is hugely concerning to everyone… here, and we take the reports very seriously.”