ECB boss Harrison vows to tackle racism
Tom Harrison is braced for more “uncomfortable” revelations amid the Azeem Rafiq affair but the England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive seesthisasachanceforcatharsisratherthanacrossroadsmoment for the sport.
A panel commissioned by Yorkshire upheld a number of claimsmadebyRafiqbutwhile his former employers accepted the ex-spinner had suffered “racial harassment and bullying”,nodisciplinaryactionwas taken by the club.
Yorkshire’sactionstowards aplayerwhorepresentedthem intwospellsbetween2008and 2018 have been panned, with several sponsors severing ties while the ECB has suspended the club from staging international matches.
Harrison is convinced the sport in this country can recover from the sorry episode andhopesthe“unprecedented action” the ECB has taken will inspireconfidenceamongevery community that cricket is a game for all.
“We have to be super clear about our stance against racism in our sport: there is no place for racism or any form of discrimination in cricket,” Harrison said. “That is the underlyingmessagethatwewant to send to cricket fans.
“We have to work doubly hard with the communities who feel let down, that’s the action we decide to take.
“The board has taken that view and it’s an incredibly important moment for the game, I expect it to have a positive impact across the sport once people have got over the initial shock that this will undoubtedly create.
“The message we’re sending out is we are taking action and we will listen. We hope thisisthestartofthings.Idon’t know if that’s a crossroads but it’s an opportunity to reaffirm what we stand for as a sport.”