Former England captain Michael Vaughan has “categorically” denied making an alleged racist remark to a former Yorkshire teammate, whose account was backed by current England player Adil Rashid on Monday. Azeem Rafiq, 30, was found in an independent report to be subject to “racial harassment and bullying” in Yorkshire, with the chairman and then chief executive resigning as a result. Vaughan revealed in his Daily Telegraph column earlier this month that reports said he had told a group of Asian players, including Rafiq, in 2009, “Too many of you guys, we need to do something about it.” is needed.”
“I solemnly and categorically deny that I ever uttered those words,” Vaughan wrote in the newspaper at the time.
“I will fight to the end to prove that I am not that person.”
But Rashid, who has played 199 times for England across all formats, issued a statement on Monday via the cricketer website, echoing Rafiq’s claims against Vaughan, who also played for Yorkshire.
The leg-spinner, who was part of the England squad that recently reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, wrote: “I wanted to focus on my cricket as much as possible and avoid distractions to the detriment of the team But I can confirm I remember Azeem Rafiq’s comments from Michael Vaughan about a group of us Asian players.”
Former Yorkshire bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, a Test player from Pakistan, had earlier said that he had heard Vaughan comment.
“worst thing”
But Vaughan reiterated his denial on Monday in a strongly worded statement, saying it was the “worst thing” he had experienced.
“Anyone who looks at the sky footage of Yorkshire’s pre-match huddle at the game in June 2009 and the interactions between the players will find it difficult to reconcile those scenes with the version of events presented,” he said.
“I remember the match clearly because it was the first time in Yorkshire’s history that four players of Asian heritage were picked in the same team.
“It was an important milestone for the county and it was also a proud moment for me personally.”
He said that in his 30-year career in cricket as a player and commentator, he had never been accused of anything “even remotely similar”.
“Facing this charge 11 years after it happened is the worst thing I’ve ever experienced,” he said.
“It is extremely disturbing that this completely false allegation has been leveled against me by a former teammate, apparently supported by two other players.”
British lawmakers will hear from Rafiq and former county president Roger Hutton at a parliamentary committee hearing on Tuesday.
In another development, the England and Wales Cricket Board said it was “shocked” by new racism claims made by former Essex player Maurice Chambers and vowed to investigate the matter along with other allegations at the club.
publicized
Chambers described in an interview with the cricketer how he was reportedly subjected to racist bullying at the club for 10 years, which included bananas being thrown at him and often being the victim of racist jokes.
It follows allegations made by former Essex batsman Joheb Sharif, who said he received racist abuse including being called a “bomber” by his teammates after the September 11 attacks in 2001.
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