Yorkshire’s international suspension lifted
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has lifted the international suspension it handed to Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the wake of the racism scandal.
The decision reportedly comes after a “rigorous review” of the county club’s progress against several criteria set out in November 2021 to tackle racism at the club.
Yorkshire has faced a turbulent 18 months, with the club losing sponsors and a host of senior figures leaving following the club’s mishandling of Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of experiencing institutional racism during his two stints at the side.
Commenting on the return of international cricket to the club, Professor The Lord Patel of Bradford OBE, chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, said: “I welcome this decision and thank the Board of the ECB for supporting the return of international matches at Headingley once again. We have worked night and day to bring about tangible change at Yorkshire, and the removal of the sanctions has validated and reignited our drive for positive progress.”
The ECB acknowledged that good progress was being made at the club but noted that the decision to reinstate international matches to Headingley was conditional on further requirements being implemented by 31 March 2022. These include resolving the issues relating to rules changes and decisions at the club which have been subject to procedural flaws and recently led Lord Patel saying there was a group within the club who were “actively seeking to delay and derail” reforms..
In addition the ECB called for amendments to be made to the club rules relating to the appointment and operation of the Board, including removal of Graves Trust powers.
Lord Patel added: “I would like to thank the ECB for its support, and its robust challenge throughout the process. It has been a difficult period for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and there remains a lot of work to be done, but the level of scrutiny has pushed us towards implementing action which will not only transform this club but can lead the way forward for the sport as a whole.”
Barry O’Brien, interim chair and cricket non-executive director at the ECB, said: “The Board welcomed the hard work and actions taken by Yorkshire County Cricket Club towards putting the Club on a new path. The Board was mindful that the return of international cricket will support continued change and progress at the Club.
“I very much hope that the traumatic events that have taken place at Yorkshire over the past several months and years will act as a catalyst for increasing the pace of change throughout the game.”
The announcement was also welcomed by Marcial Boo chief executive at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which in November said that the racism and discrimination which has been alleged to have taken place at Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) was “likely” unlawful.
Boo said: “In our meetings with Lord Patel at Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and with the England and Wales Cricket Board, we encouraged them to take bold steps in eradicating racism. We welcome today’s announcement as a clear sign that progress is being made.
“We will now closely monitor progress against their action plan, which will involve us attending quarterly checkpoint meetings with the YCCC and ECB. If progress is not made quickly enough, we will consider further legal action.
“We hope that other cricket clubs will take this opportunity to examine what they are doing to tackle discrimination and harassment, so that no one involved in cricket, whether as an amateur or a professional, suffers the racism that others sadly faced in the past.”
