"I regret that these exchanges took place" - Gary Ballance confesses to using racial slurs towards Azeem Rafiq

Former England Test batter Gary Ballance has found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons amid Azeem Rafiq's racial abuse case. Ballance released a detailed statement, admitting his usage of some offensive and derogatory terms on Rafiq when playing alongside him for Yorkshire.

The 31-year-old's statement highlighted his regret at uttering those words. He also claimed he was unaware of the distress it had caused Rafiq. Ballance called the Karachi-born cricketer his "best mate" in cricket and said he never intended to malign or agitate Rafiq by reducing him to tears.

Azeem Rafiq's claims of facing racism during his stint with the Yorkshire County Cricket Club surfaced in September 2020. The off-spinner revealed that he was close to committing suicide as he felt targeted due to his race.

However, while Yorkshire investigated his allegations, they released a report after too much delay.

The report, produced by an independent panel, initially revealed that an unnamed player used the term "P**i" when speaking to the off-spinner. Yorkshire dismissed it by perceiving it as friendly, good-natured banter between the two cricketers and refused to take action.

In response, the association faced backlash from Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Julia Knight, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee chair. Javid feels ruling it out as banter is unacceptable, while Knight wanted greater accountability and transparency from the club's chairman, Roger Hutton.

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Yorkshire Tea and Emerald Group cut ties with the club amid the handling of Azeem Rafiq's case

Ballance's statement has come at a dramatic time for Yorkshire. The Emerald Group and Yorkshire Tea have already severed ties with the county club after their mishandling of Rafiq's case.

Yorkshire Tea's statement expressed their displeasure at reading about the 31-year-old and decided to end its partnership with immediate effect. Anchor Butter emerged as yet another brand, confirming via Twitter that they will have nothing to do with Yorkshire moving forward.

Emerald Group described its withdrawal as the title sponsor at Headingley Stadium, demanding radical action to eradicate racism and uphold all moral values.