Firstly, I’m not denying Rafiq witnessed some form of racism. The Vaughan comment however is certainly not racist! If it is, then comedy will need to be shut down. Saying “you lot” is not racism, it’s not a hateful comment. I suspect it was said tongue firmly in cheek and now has been taking way out of context. I remember joining a job and there were a few young ones. One of the old fellas came over and generalised us all saying you lot are gonna push us oldies out the job. Is that ageism? Oh no, it was a harmless joke and more than likely breaking the ice between the new and current people in the job.
It isn't that simple, you are right, but you have to ask the question why there is a dearth of BAME players at Middlesex, a ckub situated in the most diverse city on the planet perhaps, while Sussex have 3 to my knowledge. So what is the reason? Perhaps Middlesex have a poor scouting system or just concentrate on attracting players from cricket playing schools if you look at their player profiles. . PS: We are not going to get into a slanging match over this. I know we have had our fallout but I hope that is behind us, and I shall learn to respect your views.
I don’t think you can solely blame Middlesex. There’s a massive society issue and until that’s solved there will always be this disparity. Did we have a fall out?
I am not sure I was blamimg Middlesex, I was merely asking the question related to the team that I support (I was born there). You maybe be correct in saying it is a societal issue, but the stone has now been tthrown and we are now watching the ripple effect on the game of cricket.
I probably say cricket in general. I think society is a big problem, but there are so many other factors that it will never be an over night change unless a lot money is thrown at it. And by a lot, a ridiculous amount
They need to take a leaf out of footballing, and get cricket into the poorer areas, supplying equipment. Then get scholarships out there. I expect they’re doing this to a certain level, but it’s obviously not enough
I'm uneasy about this whole episode. Once someone makes a racism accusation it seems the accused are guilty as charged despite their denials. The allegations may of course be true but once the racism wave gains momentum there appears to be no place for a defence. Ballance, who admits to using inappropriate language has tried to put some context to it which, rightly or wrongly might explain YCCC's decision not to take disciplinary action. Vaughan has strongly denied saying what he is accused of, most reports only say that Rafiq is backed up by Adil Rashid but fail to mention that Ajmal Shahzad is on record as saying that he never heard the alleged comments. https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/cricket/michale-vaughan-azeem-rafiq-yorkshire-racism-b966288.html Then there is this; https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/cricket/yorkshire-azeem-rafiq-racism-scandal-25431279 It's worth pointing out that Rafiq played for Yorkshire in two spells between 2008 and 2018 and captained the side for a short spell. None of this seems to matter or believed as everyone from politicians, the media and YCCC's new chairman all wade in. I repeat what I said above, that the accusations may be true and if so the criticism of YCCC is wholly deserved, but the reporting is totally one sided and dismisses any possibility of innocence.
Man brought up in a culture of perpetual racism admits to having made racist remarks. What a shocker.
Tim Paine has taken a break from cricket for mental health reasons. Bloody shame from England's perspective as his wicket is as cheap as they come
Have any of you seen the film THE EDGE ? It’s the story of the England test squad from 2009 - 2013. I highly recommend it
