Former England captain Michael Vaughan says the disciplinary listening to into allegations of racism in Yorkshire is a “terrible look” for cricket.
Vaughan is alleged to have advised Azeem Rafiq and three different Asian gamers “There are a lot of you guys, we need to say a word about this” earlier than a T20 match in Yorkshire in 2009.
Vaughan “completely and clearly” denied the allegation — and did so once more when he testified for the primary time on the listening to on Friday.
The 48-year-old was vital of the method and stated he met Rafiq in November 2021 as a result of “the whole situation was getting out of control”.
In the assembly, Vaughan apologized to Rafiq for the harm the previous spinner had skilled in Yorkshire, however didn’t acknowledge the alleged comment.
Vaughan reiterated that denial on Friday, saying: “I can’t apologize for something I don’t remember saying.”
Rafiq stated Thursday that Vaughan’s actions after the assembly made him really feel “gullible”.
“It’s not easy for anybody,” Vaughan stated below cross-examination by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) lawyer Jan Mulcahy-KC.
“This is not the correct process to deal with word-for-word comments from 14 years ago.
“Ex-teammates preventing over a rumor is a horrible search for the sport and a extremely unhealthy have a look at how cricket has handled this case.”
Vaughan mocks ‘Question of Sport’ throughout listening to
Yorkshire pleaded guilty to four amended charges from the ECB, including the county admitting they failed to address the “systemic use of racist or discriminatory language” on the membership, together with Rafiq’s profession.
Former Yorkshire and England bowler Matthew Hoggard Admitted to using a racist slur relating to his Pakistani heritage and another racist term which is offensive in South Africa while at the club.
Vaughan repeatedly denied hearing such racial slurs while living in Yorkshire.
Asked to confirm details about how many years Hoggard played for both Yorkshire and England, Vaughan joked: “It’s like a sporting query, it.”
The former batsman, who started work as a BBC pundit after his retirement in 2009, said he had a “very clear thoughts” about the match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on 22 June 2009.
He stated he “is aware of” he did not make the alleged remarks to Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan as he was “proud” that for the first time four Asian players were in the same side. Yorkshire and it was a sign of how far the county had come.
He agreed that the comment was unacceptable and racist, but insisted that he did not say it, as it would have affected the morale of his team-mates and possibly their performance.
Vaughan stated, “I ensure folks love.”
Vaughan also denied that he made the alleged remarks in jest.
Mulcahy brought up the historic tweets sent by Vaughan, which were brought to his attention in his BBC interview in November 2021, and the former England captain apologized again for the “hateful” messages.
Mulcahy urged that “the tweets are remarkably related in tone to the accusation”, which Vaughan denied.
Vaughan agreed with Mulcahy that the tweets for which he apologized would be disrespectful to Rafiq.
he stated he attended a on-line variety programs working in Australia covering the 2021-22 Ashes because he “wished to be a frontrunner within the sport”.
ECB defends probe
Among the witnesses called on Friday was Mina Boutros, the ECB’s director of legal and integrity, who is in charge of the governing body’s investigation into the allegations against Yorkshire.
Vaughan’s lawyer, Christopher Stoner Casey, criticized the handling of the investigation by the ECB, questioning why he did not speak to everyone in and around the crowd when Vaughan allegedly made the “you lot” comment.
Stoner asked why the ECB had not spoken to the team’s two umpires, Sky Cameraman and some other Yorkshire players that day.
Boutros stated “no person urged the umpires had been shut sufficient to listen to it” and that Sky footage showed they were “not near the huddle”.
He added that there was “no suggestion” the cameraman heard it, and that it “presumed he could have placed on headphones”.
Boutros stated they “weren’t ready” to obtain contact details of some players and that others either did not want to participate or had made their position “very clear”.
He stated he was “not conscious” of these lines of investigation being pursued by Vaughan’s legal team, adding: “If you assume it’s such an vital level it may be taken up.”
With inputs from BBC
