LONDON: This week's cricket column referred to the follow-up hearing into racism in cricket on 20 February by the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.
In particular, it focused on what steps had been taken since the first hearing in November 2021 and after the publication of the Independent Commission on Cricket Integrity's recommendations in June 2023.
The main impetus for the move was Yorkshire County Cricket Club and one of its former players, Azeem Rafiq, who had made allegations of racist behavior at the club. Although many of the allegations were upheld and formally accepted by the club, it appears that they were not accepted by all parties involved in cricket. In recent weeks, another character in this story has emerged, or rather re-emerged.
Colin Graves was Executive Chairman of the YCCC from 2012 to 2015 and then Chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board from 2015 to 2020. Prior to that, he was part of the consortium that rescued YCCC from bankruptcy in 2002. Club debt repayments have been consolidated. The club donated to the Graves Trust Fund, to which it currently owes around £15 million ($19 million).
Graves said he has “not been involved in any form of cricket administration” since his tenure at the ECB ended four years ago.
With YCCC on the verge of bankruptcy once again due to ongoing financial difficulties, compounded by costs incurred from payments to former employees, the club's board sought financial relief.
A consortium led by Graves submitted a proposal that was accepted by a 25 percent majority of members who chose to vote. There seemed to be a general sense of inevitability about the outcome, both within and outside Yorkshire.
Despite this, some have expressed concerns about the potential impact of Graves returning as club chairman. He accepted a request to appear at a Congressional Select Committee hearing last week, where members laid out some of these concerns.
Asked if he intended to bring back any of his former backroom staff or coaching staff, he replied: “That hasn't been discussed at the board meeting. I think we'll have our first board meeting on Monday (February 26) and we'll talk about the future, the structure, everything. But at the moment it's not being discussed. yeah.”
On the afternoon of February 27, an article written by George Dobell, who has been closely involved in reporting on and supporting Mr. Rafiq's case, was published in The Cricketer magazine.
Incredibly, the article reported that YCCC's board is considering the return of Mark Arthur, who served as CEO from 2014 until his resignation in November 2021. He resigned days before the first hearing of a Congressional Select Committee on November 16th. 2021. At that hearing, Roger Hutton, who chaired the YCCC board from April 2020 to November 2021, claimed that the CEO tried to block further investigation into allegations of racism.
During his tenure, Hutton commissioned a law firm to investigate allegations of racial discrimination. Only a summary of its findings is available to the public. Graves mentioned this fact twice during his Feb. 20 special committee hearing, but it was unclear why.
Seven of the 43 allegations made by Mr. Rafiq were upheld by an independent committee appointed by YCCC on September 10, 2021. He admitted he had been a “victim of racial harassment and bullying”. Perhaps the fact that 36 allegations were denied gives the new YCCC board hope of acquittal.
Since this ruling, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. Part of that is that we've accepted, sometimes reluctantly, that racism exists in games. In fact, at a recent select committee hearing, Graves apologized to people from minority backgrounds who had experienced discrimination and racism at the club, including Rafiq.
“That should never happen, it is never acceptable and it will never happen,” he said.
Arab News told Rafiq that the timing of the apology ahead of the YCCC's special general meeting, which will decide whether Graves will return as board chairman, and the timing of the apology during last week's special committee hearing are coincidental. I asked him if he thought so, and if it could be a coincidence. It is accepted as sincere. He declined to comment.
At a recent task force meeting, Mr. Graves asked whether he or his representatives had sent a legal letter to the publisher of Mr. Rafiq's book, “It's Not a Joke, It's Racism,” which is scheduled to be published in April. I was asked if I could. He said a lawyer representing YCCC had asked to see a preliminary copy. He denied that the tone of the letter was coercive and agreed to make its contents public. It was not clear why they requested a copy of the book.
I can't help but feel anxious about how recent events at YCCC will play out. Graves sidestepped a detailed discussion at the special committee on senior management appointments on the grounds that the club's board had not yet met to discuss it.
As a result, one committee member pointed out that Graves “didn't say he wouldn't bring back any of the veteran guards who were fired.” It was further pointed out that such people were those who did not inform the Chair of problems that were later found to exist.
Mr Graves assured that the equality, diversity and inclusion measures introduced over the past two years will be guaranteed and fully supported. A new board member, Sanjeev Gandhi, will be appointed to specifically oversee the development of these EDI measures. Mr Gandhi previously co-founded The Hundred Tournament with Mr Graves of the ECB.
There was no mention or acknowledgment of any measures initiated by ECB Senior Independent Director Kamlesh Patel to address EDI issues during his tenure as YCCC Chairman from November 2021 to March 2023. . Instead, he has faced harsh criticism as president. A person who caused damage to the county and purged the old guard.
As far as I can see, none of the British media is covering the cricketer's story. YCCC has not responded to requests to confirm that claim.
The ECB appears powerless in terms of intervening in matters that so far have been the sole responsibility of the YCCC. But it is hard to avoid the feeling that there is an underlying process of retrenchment in which financial considerations have come to the fore.
There's an old saying that a strong Yorkshire (in cricket terms) means a strong England. This truth will be tested off the field. Graves has a responsibility to ensure that the progress made since Rafiq's accusations came to light is not undermined, and he shares his own words of apology and commitment to fairness in the interests of not only Yorkshire but also cricket in England and Wales. They have a responsibility to take appropriate action and match their actions. as a whole.
Trust needs to be re-established. Rather than reappointing the former CEO, a good place to start would be to rebuild trust with Rafiq.
