Adil Rashid confirms Azeem Rafiq's recollections on Michael Vaughan comment in Yorkshire racism row

England leg-spinner Adil Rashid confirmed that he had heard former captain Michael Vaughan question the number of players of Asian heritage at Yorkshire during an incident in 2009.

Vaughan, who captained both Yorkshire and England, had earlier confirmed that his name appeared in the Yorkshire report, but denied the allegations against him.

Azeem Rafiq alleged that Michael Vaughan had noted the inclusion of four players of Asian heritage in the Yorkshire side playing at Trent Bridge and responded:

"There are too many of you lot; we need to do something about it."

While Vaughan continues to deny the allegations, Rashid, in a statement to The Cricketer, backed Rafiq on his recollection of the incident.

Adil Rashid had stayed away from commenting on the matter, saying he preferred to focus on cricket, but has now opened up on the issue.

In his statement, Adil Rashid said:

"Racism is a cancer in all walks of life and unfortunately in professional sports too, and is something which of course has to be stamped out. I wanted to concentrate as much as possible on my cricket and to avoid distractions to the detriment of the team but I can confirm Azeem Rafiq's recollection of Michael Vaughan's comments to a group of us Asian players."

Rashid is the third member of the Yorkshire team from 2009 to confirm he had heard Vaughan make the comment, with former Pakistan seamer Rana Naved-ul-Hasan backing Azeem Rafiq on the matter earlier.

Adil Rashid hails "positive developments" in Yorkshire racism row

Speaking about the formation of a parliamentary panel to look into the Yorkshire racism row, Adil Rashid said it was a positive development.

"I'm encouraged by the fact that a Parliamentary Committee seems to be trying to improve the situation, whether that's holding people accountable or getting changes made at an institutional level. These can only be positive developments."

He said he would be happy to support "official efforts" but that he wouldn't be making any further comment on the matter.

"I will of course be more than happy to support any official efforts when the time is right. For now though, these matters are of an intensely personal nature and I will not be commenting on them further. I ask you to respect my privacy and allow me to focus on my cricket."

Currently, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has stripped Yorkshire of its right to hold international matches following their poor handling of the allegations.