Rafiq lays out Yorkshire abuse

FORMER Yorkshire captain Azeem Rafiq went public last Friday (13) with details of the abuse he said he suffered during his time at Headingley.

Prior to making a verbal submission to a probe into institutional racism at one of English cricket’s leading county clubs – an inquiry set up in response to his previous allegations – Rafiq issued a statement via his lawyers last week.

It included complaints of non-white players being called “Pakis” and “elephant washers”, and being told to “go back to where you came from.”

Rafiq also said a “drinking culture” at the club worked against Muslim cricketers whose religion prohibits them from consuming alcohol.

The 29-year-old Rafiq, once the youngest captain in Yorkshire’s history, had previously described how his experiences

SPEAKING UP: Azeem Rafiq had left him feeling suicidal and led to his early exit from the professional game.

“I don’t want kids to go through what I did,” Rafiq said last Friday. “I want to see kids starting off their journey in cricket in a culture of acceptance and respect, where they are judged on their talent and not on their culture and identity. I hope the investigation will result in meaningful change at the club and in the sport.”

Yorkshire replied with a statement of their own. “We have taken the claims made by our former player, Azeem Rafiq, very seriously and a full investigation conducted by an independent law firm, began in September,” it said.

“Racism has no place in our society or in cricket and we are hopeful that the outcome of this investigation ... will drive positive progress which can be shared by all.”