TACKLING RACISM
Butts to lead independent panel addressing inequalities in cricket
THE England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed Cindy Butts as chair of the Independent Commission for Equality in Cricket.
Formed in November 2020, the Commission will look to tackle inequalities and discrimination in all forms of cricket. “I am committed to ensuring that cricket has a bright future in this country. While it’s important we preserve the best of cricket’s traditions, it is also important we identify ways it can evolve and innovate to attract and welcome diverse communities who can make an impact in all areas and at all levels of the game,” said Butts, who also sits on the board of trustees of football anti-discrimination body Kick It Out and was previously the deputy chair at the Metropolitan Police Authority.
In January, a Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) survey of more than 600 male and female professionals players, found that almost a third had experienced racism – 45 per cent claimed that racism had come from a fellow player, 10 per cent said it was from a coach, and around 30 per cent had experienced it on social media or from fans.
Of the respondents, 24 were identified as black, Asian or from ethnic minority backgrounds (which is around 90 per cent of the number of BAME players in the game). In total, 12 from BAME backgrounds had experienced some form of racism. As a result of the survey, England cricketers both men and women will undergo anti-racism training courses this year.
Among a number of recent high-profile cases, in December, former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq filed a legal claim against the club after making allegations he suffered racist abuse. Rafiq claimed that ‘institutional racism’ at the county left him close to taking his own life.
Last November, two former umpires, John Holder and Ismail Dawood, described the ECB as being “institutionally racist” over the treatment they had faced from the organisation.
The ECB responded by saying “we will not tolerate racism, but recognise we have a long way to go to drive out discrimination from our sport ’ and promised work around inclusion and diversity will be discussed and further actions agreed during their next board meeting.
One of these actions will see Butts oversee the appointment of independent commissioners “who will bring further diversity of thought, background and experience to the commission,” an ECB statement said.
Butts said: “I’m excited to be bringing together my lifelong love of cricket with my passion for equity and inclusion, to lead this work for the ECB.
“Over the coming months we will be looking to hear from a wide range of people who share a love of cricket, whether as spectators, players, coaches or administrators, both present and past.
“I am committed to ensuring cricket has a bright future in this country.”
The commission will act independently to gather and assess the evidence of inequalities and discrimination in the game and identify actions the ECB will need to take to tackle the issues.
Ian Watmore, chair of the ECB, said: “The creation of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket is an important step in our ambition to make cricket a game for everyone.
“Cindy is extremely well-qualified to lead this work and will bring empathy, rigour and practical experience to the deliberations and recommendations of the Commission.”
Brenda Trenowden CBE, senior independent director of the ECB board, added: “Promoting equity, diversity and inclusion across the game is critical to the success of our game-wide strategy, Inspiring Generations, and our purpose of connecting communities through cricket.
“While we have taken a number of positive steps forward over recent years, we recognise that there is still a lot of work to do in this area.
“The Commission will play a valuable role in helping us to really listen and understand the reality of the inclusion challenges in the game, so that we can focus our efforts to ensure that more people can say that cricket is a game for me,” Trenowden said.