Rafiq narrates casteism in English cricket in Parliament

Rafiq mentioned Yorkshire teammates used an offensive time period to discuss with his Pakistani heritage, and the 33-time English County Championship winner did not act on racism.

“Long ago, me and others from Asian backgrounds,” Rafiq informed the House of Commons choice committee that oversees the sport, “there have been feedback like, ‘You sit there by the bathroom,’ ‘the hand-washers’. . The phrase P*** was used always. And it appeared that the group has the approval of the leaders and nobody has stamped it. ,

Azim Rafiq tells MPs about names and racial slurs utilized in dressing rooms in Yorkshire and England.

(Warning: Video accommodates offensive and disturbing content material)

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 16, 2021

Former England Under-19 captain Rafiq mentioned he felt “isolated, at times humiliated” by his remedy at Yorkshire throughout two spells he performed for the membership from 2008 to 2018.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has suspended Yorkshire from internet hosting worldwide matches over the “totally unacceptable” response to the racism confronted by Rafiq.

“I was pinned and red wine was poured down my throat.”

Azim Rafiq informed the DCMS choose committee that he began consuming “around 2012” in an try to slot in in Yorkshire.

(Warning: Video accommodates content material which may be disturbing to viewers)

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 16, 2021

Yorkshire mentioned final month that it might not take any disciplinary motion in opposition to any of its workers, gamers or officers, after a report discovered Rafiq to be the sufferer of racial harassment and bullying.

Rafiq informed legislators he was being spoken to as Yorkshire captain earlier than reporting his considerations in 2017. Rafiq then mentioned that the board minutes mentioned he was “a problem, a troubleshooter and an issue that needs to be resolved.”

This was adopted by the 2017 preseason tour when Rafiq mentioned he suffered abuse in entrance of others by a teammate.

“Gary Balance walks over and goes, ‘Why are you talking to him? You know he’s a p***.’ Or, ‘He’s not a sheikh, he doesn’t have any oil,'” Rafiq recalled.

Two weeks in the past, Balance, a former England cricketer, admitted to utilizing racial slurs in opposition to Rafiq after they had been teammates in Yorkshire, however added, “It was a situation where best friends were a- Used to say objectionable things to another, which would be out of context. Totally inappropriate.”

Yorkshire launched a proper investigation into 43 allegations made by Rafiq in September 2020, seven of which had been upheld in a report launched in September underneath strain from MPs who staged a listening to on Tuesday.

At one level the committee needed to break up for a number of minutes after Rafiq struggled with the feelings of recounting traumatic experiences.

Pakistan-born Rafiq, who’s a Muslim, described his first expertise of alcoholism on the age of 15 after being requested about his consuming.

“I was stuck at my local cricket club and had red wine poured down my throat, literally down my throat,” mentioned 30-year-old Rafiq. “The participant performed for Yorkshire and Hampshire. I did not contact alcohol till (then) about 2012 and round that point I felt I needed to do it to get match.

Azim Rafiq says the racism he skilled in Yorkshire made him really feel ‘remoted’ and ‘humiliated’.

(Warning: Video accommodates offensive language and content material which will disturb viewers)

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 16, 2021

“I wasn’t perfect. There are some things I did that I felt I had to do to achieve my dreams. I deeply regret it but it has nothing to do with racism. My point was when I spoke Should have been heard. With listening to the victim, there is a problem in the game. With racism there are no ‘yes, buts’; there are no ‘two sides’ to racism.”

Yorkshire’s chairman and chief government resigned this month.