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Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq has blown the lid off rampant racism that allegedly exists at one of the most famous county clubs in English cricket.
In an interview to ESPN Cricinfo in September 2020, Rafiq said that "institutional racism" at Yorkshire County Cricket Club left him on the brink of suicide. Since his initial revelations, a lot more shocking claims have come to the fore. A number of big names of English cricket have been dragged into the controversy that has sullied Yorkshire’s reputation.
On Tuesday (November 16), Rafiq opened up about some of the troubling incidents that took place during his stints with Yorkshire. He made these revelations at the Digital Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) selection committee hearing.
During the emotional hearing, Rafiq lamented that inhuman racist abuse had cost him his cricket career.
Azeem Rafiq’s shocking claims about racism at Yorkshire
Rafiq’s heartfelt testimony laid out the hardships he faced during his playing days at Yorkshire. In the wake of his words, we look at the details of accusations the 30-year-old has made about some prominent names in England cricket.
#1 Michael Vaughan’s “too many of you lot” statement
Rafiq accused former England and Yorkshire cricketer Michael Vaughan of saying "there are too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” during a 2009 game against Nottinghamshire. Vaughan was allegedly referring to the Asian origins of Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naved.
While Vaughan sympathized with Rafiq, he refused to accept the allegations despite Rashid and Naved corroborating the claims. Responding to Vaughan’s refusal to acknowledge that he had made the controversial statement, Rafiq said:
“He may not remember it because it doesn’t mean anything to him, but three of the four Asian players he mentioned do remember it. He then used his platform (newspaper column) to discredit me. He seems to have taken the same stance as the club - deny, deny, deny.”
#2 Gary Ballance’s unbearable "P***" taunts
Rafiq alleged that England and Yorkshire batter Gary Ballance referred to him as ‘p***’ on multiple occasions. Speaking at the hearing, he recalled:
“Gary would regularly make belittling or derogatory comments about my Pakistani heritage like ‘don’t talk to him, he’s a P***’. Or ‘Why are you talking to him, he’s a P***?’ It became unbearable. This happened in front of teammates. It happened in front of coaching staff.”
Rafiq further alleged that the Yorkshire club protected Ballance with respect to his “drug and alcohol issues”. While Ballance admitted that he used derogatory words while referring to the Pakistan-born cricket, he termed it as "banter" while issuing an apology.
He also denied the claims with regards to the drug and alcohol allegations.
#3 Alex Hales named his dog “Kevin”
Alex Hales is no stranger to controversies. Amid the uncertainty over his England future, the hard-hitting batter finds himself in the midst of another storm. Rafiq alleged that Hales naming his dog “Kevin” had a racial connotation.
According to the former off-spinner, Ballance's derogatory use of the term “Kevin” as a blanket term for all people of color was "an open secret in the England dressing room."
Hales has, however, denied the claim. Releasing a statement, he clarified:
“Having heard the allegations made against me, I categorically and absolutely deny there was any racial connotation in the naming of my dog.”
#4 When David Lloyd said, “Asian players don’t go in there”
Former England cricketer David Lloyd has made a name for himself as a charming commentator and analyst. However, his name too figures in the racism controversy.
Rafiq alleged that Lloyd and a few other media persons once had a discussion during which the former cricketer stated that "a clubhouse is the lifeblood of a club and Asian players don't go in there."
Lloyd has accepted the claim and has tendered an apology over the same. Regretting his actions, the cricket expert said in a statement:
“In October 2020, I had a private message exchange with a third party involved in cricket, about a number of topics. In these messages, I referred to allegations about Azeem Rafiq which I had heard from within the game. I also made some comments about the Asian cricket community. I deeply regret my actions, and I apologise most sincerely to Azeem and to the Asian cricket community for doing this, and for any offence caused.”
#5 Matthew Hoggard allegedly called Asians “elephant washers”
Rafiq has also claimed that it was former England bowler Matthew Hoggard who started calling him “Raffa the Kaffir”. He stated that back then he didn’t understand it was a racist slur since his nickname at the club was “Raffa”.
The 30-year-old further revealed that Hoggard referred to him and other Asian players - Adil, Ajmal and Rana – as “elephant washers” and “P***”. Hoggard is also said to have used phrases such as “you lot sit over there.”
Rafiq, however, also stated that Hoggard called him up and apologized after he opened up about the racial abuse he faced during his time at Yorkshire.
Rafiq revealed that Hoggard told him:
“I didn’t realise… I’m really sorry if some of the comments made you feel the way you describe. I just want to apologise.”
#6 Why Rafiq is disappointed in “good man” Joe Root
Rafiq described current England Test captain Joe Root as a “good man”. However, he lamented the batter’s statement in which he claimed that he never heard anyone making racist comments at Yorkshire.
Expressing disappointment over the England batter’s claim, Rafiq commented:
“Joe Root is a good man. He never engaged in any racist language. But Rooty was Ballance’s flatmate and was involved in those social nights out where I was called a ‘P***’. He might not remember but it shows how normal it was that even a good man like him doesn’t see it for what it is.”
Rafiq admitted that he was incredibly hurt by Root’s denial to admit the rot at Yorkshire with regards to racism.
#7 Cheteshwar Pujara was referred to as "Steve" in a racial context
Explaining why he felt Yorkshire was institutionally racist, Rafiq pointed out that Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara was referred to as “Steve”, a racist slur, during his time at the club.
According to Rafiq, players of Asian origin were given a standard nickname “Steve” at YCC. He claimed that it was Jack Brooks who started calling the Indian batter “Steve”.
The 30-year-old further alleged that not just the players Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire website, Yorkshire Twitter page and even commentators called Pujara “Steve”. The Indian cricketer had admitted in 2018 that he wasn’t comfortable with his Yorkshire teammates, referring to him as “Steve.” However, Pujara did not find any racist connotation to it.
#8 Tim Bresnan "frequently made racist comments"
Rafiq was also scathing in his criticism of former England pacer Tim Bresnan. The former cricketer claimed Bresnan was a regular at passing racist remarks. Rafiq added that he was among the six or seven players who had complained against the pacer back in 2017.
While Bresnan has apologized to the former off-spinner, he has denied claims of being a racist. His statement read:
“For any part I played in contributing to Azeem Rafiq's experience of feeling bullied at Yorkshire, I apologise unreservedly. Following the publication of Azeem's witness statement from the employment tribunal, which I saw for the first time this afternoon, I must though categorically deny his accusation that I 'frequently made racist comments'.”
#9 “Aggressive and rude” Andrew Gale
Rafiq alleged that former Yorkshire captain and current coach Andrew Gale was often rude towards him. According to the 30-year-old, this wasn’t how he treated white players. Rafiq revealed that, Gale, who is Bresnan’s brother-in-law – would call him a “p***” and “Raffa the Kaffir”.
Rafiq added that he got no support from YCCC or Andrew after the death of his son in 2018 following a “very complicated and difficult pregnancy." Gale was recently suspended for a historic tweet that he sent out in 2010.
#10 “Martyn Moxon ripped the shreds off me”
Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, has been signed off from work due to a stress-related illness. Hitting out at Moxon, Rafiq claimed that he did nothing to stop racism at the club. He further alleged that following the death of his son, he received no condolences but was instead ripped apart by Moxon.
Rafiq recalled the day he returned to the club after his son’s death and said:
“Martyn Moxon literally got me in a room and ripped the shreds off me. I’ve never seen him speak to anyone like that through my time at the club. I couldn’t believe it.”
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