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Thanks to Jake Perry for this article
The following article concerns the statement Scotland cricketer Majid Haq released concerning the settlement he reached with Cricket Scotland after being sent home from the 2015 World Cup after posting what was termed a race-related tweet, and contains comments he made to the author about the background to the tweet and his feelings about being an Asian-origin cricketer in the UK.
Majid Haq, Scotland’s most capped internationalist and leading wicket-taker, has reached agreement with Cricket Scotland over the termination of his international contract in the weeks that followed his early return from the 2015 World Cup after a race-related social media post.
Majid, having been omitted from the side to face Sri Lanka, tweeted “Always tougher when your [sic] in the minority #colour #race”. Despite deleting the comment soon after, the off-spinner found himself on a flight back to Scotland for a breach of Cricket Scotland’s code of conduct.
In a statement released through his solicitor Aamer Anwar, Majid thanked his supporters and sought to clarify that his remark at the time was intended to be viewed in a wider context.
“The last year has seen many ups and downs, both professionally and personally. I will always cherish representing the country of my birth at the World Cup,” he said.
“Becoming Scotland's most capped player and record wicket taker were great moments.
“Sadly, these positives were overshadowed by being sent home from the World Cup. Being sent home for a tweet was one of the worst things myself and my family have had to endure. I said something I felt at the time and still feel that 'it's tougher being in the minority.'
“I understand that expressing my feelings on social media in the manner that I did, and at the time that I did, resulted in Cricket Scotland taking the view that my tweet solely related to my non-selection and my views on the underlying reason for this.
“However, my non-selection was the culmination of a series of events which led me to form this view which I still hold.
“I hope that in the future such matters will be dealt with differently and after time has been taken to fully consider and take into account all of the circumstances.
“I am pleased to be able to announce that I have now reached an agreement with Cricket Scotland around the termination of my contract which allows me to move on with my ambitions to play cricket at the highest level.”
A statement released by Cricket Scotland in March also made clear that the issue had reached resolution.
“We are pleased to be able to announce having reached an agreement around the termination of his contract with Majid Haq who, over the years, has been one of Scotland’s highest profile and [most] successful cricketers.
“Majid remains an important figure on the cricket scene in Scotland.”
Speaking to me in February this year, as part of a previously unpublished interview, Majid elaborated more on the background to the contentious post.
“What I said at the World Cup was a general feeling,” he said. “It is different for the minorities. There is a definite feeling amongst Asians that this is the case in a wide range of professions and it definitely happens in professional sport.
“It’s not just in Scotland - I have spoken to several county players down in England who felt the same thing. It’s disappointing that it happens in this day and age. But I’d say that that’s pushed me a lot in my career - I know that as an ethnic minority I can’t play just satisfactorily, I’ve got to be twice as good to get the same recognition.”
Although he accepts that expressing his feelings via a tweet was ill-advised, Majid feels that the chain of events subsequently set into motion in New Zealand demonstrated a misunderstanding of the point he was trying to make.
“We should have had a chat and sorted things out straight after the World Cup, but it didn’t work out that way,” he said.
“I gave my side of the story at a disciplinary hearing in April but then the case was dropped. I got a call from the interim chief executive to say that my suspension was over, but I heard nothing else until (Director of Cricket) Andy Tennant spoke to me in October to say that my contract wouldn’t be renewed. That was obviously disappointing.”
The sadness over the circumstances that appear to have ended his international career may remain but there is relief at a settlement that finally draws a line beneath what has been one of the most unfortunate episodes in the recent history of the Scottish cricket team. As Majid now seeks to move on in his career, only time will tell whether he will be given the opportunity to bring his enormous experience back to a role with Scotland in the future.
The following article concerns the statement Scotland cricketer Majid Haq released concerning the settlement he reached with Cricket Scotland after being sent home from the 2015 World Cup after posting what was termed a race-related tweet, and contains comments he made to the author about the background to the tweet and his feelings about being an Asian-origin cricketer in the UK.
Majid Haq, Scotland’s most capped internationalist and leading wicket-taker, has reached agreement with Cricket Scotland over the termination of his international contract in the weeks that followed his early return from the 2015 World Cup after a race-related social media post.
Majid, having been omitted from the side to face Sri Lanka, tweeted “Always tougher when your [sic] in the minority #colour #race”. Despite deleting the comment soon after, the off-spinner found himself on a flight back to Scotland for a breach of Cricket Scotland’s code of conduct.
In a statement released through his solicitor Aamer Anwar, Majid thanked his supporters and sought to clarify that his remark at the time was intended to be viewed in a wider context.
“The last year has seen many ups and downs, both professionally and personally. I will always cherish representing the country of my birth at the World Cup,” he said.
“Becoming Scotland's most capped player and record wicket taker were great moments.
“Sadly, these positives were overshadowed by being sent home from the World Cup. Being sent home for a tweet was one of the worst things myself and my family have had to endure. I said something I felt at the time and still feel that 'it's tougher being in the minority.'
“I understand that expressing my feelings on social media in the manner that I did, and at the time that I did, resulted in Cricket Scotland taking the view that my tweet solely related to my non-selection and my views on the underlying reason for this.
“However, my non-selection was the culmination of a series of events which led me to form this view which I still hold.
“I hope that in the future such matters will be dealt with differently and after time has been taken to fully consider and take into account all of the circumstances.
“I am pleased to be able to announce that I have now reached an agreement with Cricket Scotland around the termination of my contract which allows me to move on with my ambitions to play cricket at the highest level.”
A statement released by Cricket Scotland in March also made clear that the issue had reached resolution.
“We are pleased to be able to announce having reached an agreement around the termination of his contract with Majid Haq who, over the years, has been one of Scotland’s highest profile and [most] successful cricketers.
“Majid remains an important figure on the cricket scene in Scotland.”
Speaking to me in February this year, as part of a previously unpublished interview, Majid elaborated more on the background to the contentious post.
“What I said at the World Cup was a general feeling,” he said. “It is different for the minorities. There is a definite feeling amongst Asians that this is the case in a wide range of professions and it definitely happens in professional sport.
“It’s not just in Scotland - I have spoken to several county players down in England who felt the same thing. It’s disappointing that it happens in this day and age. But I’d say that that’s pushed me a lot in my career - I know that as an ethnic minority I can’t play just satisfactorily, I’ve got to be twice as good to get the same recognition.”
Although he accepts that expressing his feelings via a tweet was ill-advised, Majid feels that the chain of events subsequently set into motion in New Zealand demonstrated a misunderstanding of the point he was trying to make.
“We should have had a chat and sorted things out straight after the World Cup, but it didn’t work out that way,” he said.
“I gave my side of the story at a disciplinary hearing in April but then the case was dropped. I got a call from the interim chief executive to say that my suspension was over, but I heard nothing else until (Director of Cricket) Andy Tennant spoke to me in October to say that my contract wouldn’t be renewed. That was obviously disappointing.”
The sadness over the circumstances that appear to have ended his international career may remain but there is relief at a settlement that finally draws a line beneath what has been one of the most unfortunate episodes in the recent history of the Scottish cricket team. As Majid now seeks to move on in his career, only time will tell whether he will be given the opportunity to bring his enormous experience back to a role with Scotland in the future.
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