Six ex-Yorkshire players sanctioned over club racism scandal
Details of sanctions against six former Yorkshire County Cricket Club players and coaches have been published by the independent Cricket Discipline Commission.
These concern racist language used against ex Yorkshire player, Azeem Rafiq.
In 2020, Rafiq publicly alleged he had suffered racial harassment and bullying while playing for the team.
John Blain, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, Matthew Hoggard and Richard Pyrah were all found to have breached ECB Directive 3.3 for their alleged use of racist and/or discriminatory language in March.
Gary Ballance had already admitted to those breaches, but he had confirmed his retirement from playing last month.
The sanctions for each are:
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Gary Ballance – a six-match playing suspension (to take effect if he returns to ECB-regulated cricket as a player), a £3,000 fine and to take an educational course identified by the English Cricket Board.
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John Blain – a £2,500 fine and to take an educational course identified by the English Cricket Board.
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Tim Bresnan – a three-match playing suspension (to take effect if he returns to ECB-regulated cricket as a player), a £4,000 fine and to take an educational course identified by the English Cricket Board.
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Andrew Gale – a four-week suspension from coaching cricket (to take effect if he returns to ECB-regulated cricket as a coach), a £6,000 fine and to take an educational course identified by the English Cricket Board.
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Matthew Hoggard – a £4,000 fine and to take an educational course identified by the English Cricket Board.
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Richard Pyrah – a two-week suspension from coaching cricket (to take effect if he returns to ECB-regulated cricket as a coach), a £2,500 fine and to take an educational course identified by the English Cricket Board.
The sanctioned individuals are able to appeal the decisions by 9 June.
A separate hearing is to handle any sanctions that Yorkshire County Cricket Club will face on 27 June. The club has already admitted to four breaches of ECB Directive 3.3.
