Azeem Rafiq believes cricket is still living “in a lot of denial” about the problem it faces with racism.
The former Yorkshire player blew the whistle on the abuse he suffered at the county across two spells between 2008 and 2018, with the club’s initial handling of his allegations heavily criticised and leading to the loss of sponsors and the right to host international matches at their Headingley ground.
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee has recommended in a new report that cricket’s public funding be limited if it fails to “clean up its act” and rid the sport of racism.
Rafiq is impressed by the changes brought about at Yorkshire by their new chair, Lord Kamlesh Patel, since his appointment in November but is less convinced about how serious the wider game is about tackling the issue.
“I see Yorkshire trying to do the right thing, but I do feel like the game as a whole is still living in a lot of denial,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I think the ECB needs to do more. I would say putting an action plan on a document, we’ve seen all that before. We need to see more action.”
DCMS committee chair Julian Knight told the PA news agency that “the jury is out” on the England and Wales Cricket Board and its chief executive Tom Harrison.
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