[VIDEO] Azeem Rafiq files a legal claim against Yorkshire County Cricket Club

[Abdullah719]

 

[shaz619]

Lol the funny thing is these Asian lads have over the years been a vital part of the bowling attack.

People weren't queuing up to see Anthony McGrath's 70mph thunderbolts.

As for the other lads, I don't know. Rashid is on a central contract so could be limited in what he can say publicly, but I'd be interested to hear his experiences.

That's quiet true and if am honest, I aint surprised by how Yorkshire have treated him. I bet you Rashid and the others may have had similar experiences but probably limited as they may have kept more to themselves. In that part of the world / area in terms of the cricket, how diverse is it ? with the Bradford connection and all you'd expect more of a mix / understanding, in Warwickshire from the youth teams onwards you have had more of a mix and I guess the city influence and mix of cultures also directly impacts the understanding of the players / knowing to respect others of all backgrounds and focussing on the crickets. Sad to read that interview though, I think he had more to offer at international level

 

[shaz619]

The fact that they appointed a law firm to begin with just will be bad P.R for them all round, I don't know how they feel this will reflect nicely on them by the end in any case. They should hear Azeem out, apologise and reach a settlement, plus start a diversity course which may positively impact talent growth especially among the BAME diaspora

 

[Saj]

It always intrigues me how few Asian lads make it to playing for Yorkshire, given the number of Asian guys playing cricket in various leagues in the region.

 

[Manunited18]

It always intrigues me how few Asian lads make it to playing for Yorkshire, given the number of Asian guys playing cricket in various leagues in the region.

It's not only in Yorkshire, Birmingham has a big Asian population so does lancashire, the cut off point seems to be when feeding players in to academies thats when BAME players are reliesed.

 

[Rana]

It's not only in Yorkshire, Birmingham has a big Asian population so does lancashire, the cut off point seems to be when feeding players in to academies thats when BAME players are reliesed.

It’s the Same at Middlesex and Surrey. All the lower leagues are filled with South Asian dominated cricket clubs who have to go through so many obstacles to be recognised as a top tier division club. The Premier leagues, Division 1s and 90% of First XIs in those leagues will be dominated by white players. It has improved a lot since the 90s but the divisions are still very clear to see

 

[Rana]

I remember playing a lot of my colts cricket in the Surrey league. Awfully racist clubs all around. Very distressing memories. You don’t have to be called a p@ki or anything abusive directly to realise the hatred in the atmosphere

 

[Rana]

Having said that also, I have received a lot of respect playing amongst mostly white players as well. 95% of my time on a cricket field with ‘Englishmen’ has been pleasant, with wonderful memories and great friends. Would I prefer my children to play in a cricket club with a proper structure and culture? Yes, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day

 

[JaDed]

I know exactly what he is going through.I work in a very prestigious company. I can relate to what he is saying. I am going through something similar right at this very minute.

Only in this company? Also are you at a higher level role?

 

[JaDed]

Wonder how many Desi footballers were lost to system as well unless their name wasn’t Michael.

 

[tyron_woodley]

I remember playing a lot of my colts cricket in the Surrey league. Awfully racist clubs all around. Very distressing memories. You don’t have to be called a p@ki or anything abusive directly to realise the hatred in the atmosphere

can you tell me about your experiences? how did you deal with those abusive racist inbreds? I hope you broke their jaw.

I despise racists. Many of them are usually bogan uneducated hillbillies that utter those expletives. Unfortunately You can eliminate them all but from my personal experience I have had no issues in australia. Yea there will always be the odd idiot that likes to stir up the pot. But they get intimidated by me as I am well built, which obviously helps.

Australian players in general don't respond well if you stand up to them. They are good at bantering but if you are able to return the favour they refrain from teasing you.

 

[Mamoon]

If you are a good enough Asian player, you will get your chance and nothing will stop you from playing for England as long as you perform.

If you are not good enough as an Asian player, you will obviously not get picked and then you will cry about racism and discrimination.

It is the typical South Asian, in particular Pakistani mentality. Always finding reasons to shift blame to others and fish for opportunities to play victim.

 

[Sidilicious]

If you are a good enough Asian player, you will get your chance and nothing will stop you from playing for England as long as you perform.

If you are not good enough as an Asian player, you will obviously not get picked and then you will cry about racism and discrimination.

It is the typical South Asian, in particular Pakistani mentality. Always finding reasons to shift blame to others and fish for opportunities to play victim.

Surely, even if you are not a good enough player to make it, you still deserve to be treated with decency.
It is one thing to not make it because one is not good enough, but it’s another to get racial abuse.

However, in this particular case, the cricketer is known to have a poor attitude and blaming others for his failures. Given his history, I am
not too inclined to believe him.

 

[tyron_woodley]

If the talent level is similar then the British talent will al2ays get picked over his Asian counterpart. is that what you lot are implying?

lets assume azam was born and brought up in england. say azam averages 48 and root averages 48 in county. They would pick root over azam first purely because he is true brit?

 

[Mamoon]

If the talent level is similar then the British talent will al2ays get picked over his Asian counterpart. is that what you lot are implying?

lets assume azam was born and brought up in england. say azam averages 48 and root averages 48 in county. They would pick root over azam first purely because he is true brit?

Even if it happens it is understandable. It is human nature to cater to your own first.

If a Muslim and a Christian have identical records and performances, who is more likely to break into the Pakistan team first? The Muslim of course.

 

[Mamoon]

Surely, even if you are not a good enough player to make it, you still deserve to be treated with decency.
It is one thing to not make it because one is not good enough, but it’s another to get racial abuse.

However, in this particular case, the cricketer is known to have a poor attitude and blaming others for his failures. Given his history, I am
not too inclined to believe him.

I agree. This guy has zero credibility and does not deserve to be taken seriously.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Even if it happens it is understandable. It is human nature to cater to your own first.

If a Muslim and a Christian have identical records and performances, who is more likely to break into the Pakistan team first? The Muslim of course.

I agree. I think it's understandable. Exactly. That's what I have been implying too. In pakistan, I guarantee a pure Pakistani would always get first preference over a Pakistani born brit for example if their abilities were similar.

 

[Manunited18]

I agree. I think it's understandable. Exactly. That's what I have been implying too. In pakistan, I guarantee a pure Pakistani would always get first preference over a Pakistani born brit for example if their abilities were similar.

This is about discrimination of a individual, it's nothing to do with not been good enough or never made it as a top tier international cricketer, no human deserves descrimination of any form

 

[Manunited18]

Even if it happens it is understandable. It is human nature to cater to your own first.

If a Muslim and a Christian have identical records and performances, who is more likely to break into the Pakistan team first? The Muslim of course.

Discrimination of any form has no place in society be it here in UK or your home land india

 

[Mamoon]

Discrimination of any form has no place in society be it here in UK or your home land india

My homeland is not India.

This is not discrimination. Discrimination would be a vastly superior Asian player getting rejected for a vastly inferior white player.

Remember - 100% equality cannot exist in reality.

 

[Manunited18]

My homeland is not India.

This is not discrimination. Discrimination would be a vastly superior Asian player getting rejected for a vastly inferior white player.

Remember - 100% equality cannot exist in reality.

Leave his profession to one side, as a human being discrimination of any form should not be tolerated in society.

 

[Mamoon]

Leave his profession to one side, as a human being discrimination of any form should not be tolerated in society.

This “human being” called his coach a useless w*nker when he was rightly dropped from the U-19 England team because of poor performances.

He deserves no sympathy.

He is just a loser who is always complaining and finding others to blame for his own shortcomings.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Leave his profession to one side, as a human being discrimination of any form should not be tolerated in society.

You are right but the guy in question is a terrible cricketer and he has a loud mouth in general. He got what he deserved right.

 

[Manunited18]

You are right but the guy in question is a terrible cricketer and he has a loud mouth in general. He got what he deserved right.

No he didn't deserve racial discrimination, maybe it's tolerated in your society but in general in the UK it isnt!

 

[Manunited18]

This “human being” called his coach a useless w*nker when he was rightly dropped from the U-19 England team because of poor performances.

He deserves no sympathy.

He is just a loser who is always complaining and finding others to blame for his own shortcomings.

Discrimination in any form should not be tolerated, maybe in your society or home land it is!

 

[Sidilicious]

Discrimination in any form should not be tolerated, maybe in your society or home land it is!

Discrimination should not be tolerated.

However, one does need the question the veracity of the allegation, since the victim in question has a track record for blaming others for his failure. As stated by Saj, the other individuals in the victims story dispute the incident all together.

Thus, it is difficult to take this individual seriously

 

[MenInG]

Discrimination should not be tolerated.

However, one does need the question the veracity of the allegation, since the victim in question has a track record for blaming others for his failure. As stated by Saj, the other individuals in the victims story dispute the incident all together.

Thus, it is difficult to take this individual seriously

Well we dont know if the other individuals are maybe scared of repercussions for speaking out.

 

[tyron_woodley]

No he didn't deserve racial discrimination, maybe it's tolerated in your society but in general in the UK it isnt!

absolutely not tolerated. Aussies are never directly racist. Even if they were, they will absolutely defecate in their pants if someone stands up to them

I agree that the man I question here shouldn't be racially discriminated whatsoever.

What I meant was that he has a habit of playing the victim card hence I am dubious about his allegation.

Honestly if I experience someone being directly racist to me In person, I may do something absolutely terrible as I do have anger issues.

Being subliminally racist is worse in my opinion. I am sure many have experienced this form of racism or atleast aware of such issues.

As I said, people in general not just Aussies, can be subliminally racist. That needs to be eradicated. It's one of those ones where they are subtly racist enough to not provoke you directly but are just about good enough to backstab you and ruin your career aspirations. That exists everywhere.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

This “human being” called his coach a useless w*nker when he was rightly dropped from the U-19 England team because of poor performances.

He deserves no sympathy.

He is just a loser who is always complaining and finding others to blame for his own shortcomings.

We are not talking about whether he deserved to be dropped, he is talking about his experience being part of a white cricket team in Yorkshire which has had previous accusations levelled against it of institutional racism. Maybe his is making it up, but you have no idea at all of his experiences so are not really in a position to pass judgement. Possibly why you keep making generic put downs of Pakistani players in general, as that is your real motive.

 

[Rana]

We are not talking about whether he deserved to be dropped, he is talking about his experience being part of a white cricket team in Yorkshire which has had previous accusations levelled against it of institutional racism. Maybe his is making it up, but you have no idea at all of his experiences so are not really in a position to pass judgement. Possibly why you keep making generic put downs of Pakistani players in general, as that is your real motive.

This concept is lost on him bro. Your wasting your time even bothering

 

[Mamoon]

We are not talking about whether he deserved to be dropped, he is talking about his experience being part of a white cricket team in Yorkshire which has had previous accusations levelled against it of institutional racism. Maybe his is making it up, but you have no idea at all of his experiences so are not really in a position to pass judgement. Possibly why you keep making generic put downs of Pakistani players in general, as that is your real motive.

I am comfortable passing judgments because of his history. So he is either lying or he has been discriminated against. Those are the two possibilities right?

And if he has been discriminated against, he deserves no sympathy because of his past behavior.

The ECB administrator rightly stated that you reap what you sow. He got what he deserved.

 

[Abdullah719]

I am comfortable passing judgments because of his history. So he is either lying or he has been discriminated against. Those are the two possibilities right?

And if he has been discriminated against, he deserves no sympathy because of his past behavior.

The ECB administrator rightly stated that you reap what you sow. He got what he deserved.

Thanks for making your position clear on this.

Spoiler

 

[Mamoon]

Thanks for making your position clear on this.

Spoiler

Bad things often happen to people who deserve it. It’s life.

If he got discriminated against, he had it coming for abusing his coach. He got a lovely dose of karma.

 

[Rana]

We deserve humiliation for being Pakistani

We deserve discrimination for being losers

 

[Abdullah719]

Bad things often happen to people who deserve it. It’s life.

If he got discriminated against, he had it coming for abusing his coach. He got a lovely dose of karma.

No matter how ridiculous your views are, that’s your prerogative. I hope you will be consistent with this thought process and apply the same logic in all similar cases. That is all.

 

[Rana]

Bad things often happen to people who deserve it. It’s life.

If he got discriminated against, he had it coming for abusing his coach. He got a lovely dose of karma.

Why hasn’t anything bad happened to Craig Overton yet? Or was he also doing the noble thing and abusing a Pakistani who deserved to be abused?

 

[gibsyhesperis]

absolutely not tolerated. Aussies are never directly racist. Even if they were, they will absolutely defecate in their pants if someone stands up to them

I agree that the man I question here shouldn't be racially discriminated whatsoever.

What I meant was that he has a habit of playing the victim card hence I am dubious about his allegation.

Honestly if I experience someone being directly racist to me In person, I may do something absolutely terrible as I do have anger issues.

Being subliminally racist is worse in my opinion. I am sure many have experienced this form of racism or atleast aware of such issues.

As I said, people in general not just Aussies, can be subliminally racist. That needs to be eradicated. It's one of those ones where they are subtly racist enough to not provoke you directly but are just about good enough to backstab you and ruin your career aspirations. That exists everywhere.

"Aussies are never directly racist"

I think Darren Lehman woould prove you wrong there....
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/jan/19/cricket.comment

 

[gibsyhesperis]

Even if it happens it is understandable. It is human nature to cater to your own first.

If a Muslim and a Christian have identical records and performances, who is more likely to break into the Pakistan team first? The Muslim of course.

This is an incorrect argument.
The equation related to immigration is simple.
We the host country allow you to come in (all countries have the innate right to define their immigration policy). We expect you to behave according to our laws and be productive members of society.
In return we will treat you as equals. We will regard your children as equal members of society and not as immigrants or aliens.
Both parties -- the immigrant and the host country have to accept that basic arrangement.

I believe the UK does this very well -- when it doesn't it should be called out.
Relativism (well Pakistan is more racist) is irrelevant.
The UK should, and on the whole does, operate to a higher standard.

Incidentally many of us are British and have a right and expectation that we are treated equally in all spheres. There is no indigenous British -- it is also a country shaped by immigration.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

This concept is lost on him bro. Your wasting your time even bothering

It's not really for his benefit to be honest, he is from what I have read, a well educated fellow who lives a privileged life in Pakistan. He's not really going to have much of an idea what it's like to live as a Pakistani in a white environment, so he is just shooting in the dark really. Having grown up in a white city and mingled with whites of all classes at some point I would have a far better idea than he would.

I don't know about the ins and outs about Rashid's account specifically, but he is absolutely right that unless you fit in with white culture you will always be viewed slightly suspiciously. It's not even up for debate, you only have to read the headlines to see this is evident.

That's not to say it's all bad either, no doubt being part of a desi collective has it's own challenges. But Yorkshire cricket club has had a reputation of excluding Asian cricketers from the inner circle, although they have tried to address it.

 

[Mamoon]

Stories of racism sell like hot cakes. Trigger-happy people will immediately buy your story and side with you even without letting facts unfold.

If I were a struggling, mediocre Asian cricketer in England, I would have probably wished to be discriminated so that I can sell my story to Guardian or Telegraph and gain instant recognition, relevance and sympathy.

Although in this particular case, this tactic as has backfired because Rafiq’s own checkered history has reared its ugly head.

 

[Rana]

It's not really for his benefit to be honest, he is from what I have read, a well educated fellow who lives a privileged life in Pakistan. He's not really going to have much of an idea what it's like to live as a Pakistani in a white environment, so he is just shooting in the dark really. Having grown up in a white city and mingled with whites of all classes at some point I would have a far better idea than he would.

I don't know about the ins and outs about Rashid's account specifically, but he is absolutely right that unless you fit in with white culture you will always be viewed slightly suspiciously. It's not even up for debate, you only have to read the headlines to see this is evident.

That's not to say it's all bad either, no doubt being part of a desi collective has it's own challenges. But Yorkshire cricket club has had a reputation of excluding Asian cricketers from the inner circle, although they have tried to address it.

But due to his insecurities at being from a fully Pakistani background, he wants to have a say in English/British asian culture, which he is evidently so jealous of that he has to consistently vent his anger towards people of such a background, because he himself could not be from it, nor will he ever be accepted by them.

 

[Manunited18]

Discrimination should not be tolerated.

However, one does need the question the veracity of the allegation, since the victim in question has a track record for blaming others for his failure. As stated by Saj, the other individuals in the victims story dispute the incident all together.

Thus, it is difficult to take this individual seriously

The other named victims are still pretty much involved in the game , so I can understand their position to decline to come forward

 

[Rana]

The other named victims are still pretty much involved in the game , so I can understand their position to decline to come forward

Good point. Ajmal Shahzad has done very well as he is currently the head coach of MCC academy. He may have experienced things that he decided to overlook unlike Azeem who seems vengeful.

 

[MenInG]

Post sensibly on this thread. This is a sensitive issue so don't trivialize it for your selfish benefit.

 

[Shaka81]

Bad things often happen to people who deserve it. It’s life.

If he got discriminated against, he had it coming for abusing his coach. He got a lovely dose of karma.

What a load of nonsense. No one deserves to face racial discrimination regardless of what karma you or similar people feel you are redistributing. Also victim blaming is a common trait of an immature society.

In the UK, there has been a lot of hard work done on improving race relations and things are a lot better than they were when I was growing up. There is still some institutional racism which we in the UK need to keep fighting against and not become like other countries where it's accepted as part of the "culture".

 

[Hasan123]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] you aren't understanding the point. He has never blamed being these incidents for his average career. He is just saying he was racially abused. I haven't seen a quote where he has said because of his skin and ethnicity he was held back.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] you aren't understanding the point. He has never blamed being these incidents for his average career. He is just saying he was racially abused. I haven't seen a quote where he has said because of his skin and ethnicity he was held back.

Exactly so. As far as I have read he is not attributing his lack of success to racism. But no one should be called a *aki (or worse).

Fortunately, the majority of BAME players do not seem to experience this (or at least have not commented on it). Their respective capabilities as players is irrelevant.
It is not acceptable in any situation — zero tolerance to racism in all spheres. That should be the standard we aspire to in the UK.

 

[MenInG]

Azeem Rafiq speaking on TalkSport says that a 16 year old on YCCC academy contacted him to say that he had experienced similar issues.

 

[topspin]

Why hasn’t anything bad happened to Craig Overton yet? Or was he also doing the noble thing and abusing a Pakistani who deserved to be abused?

Along with Kaneria, this is another good case in point.

 

[MenInG]

Former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq has urged authorities to ‘act now’ and eradicate racism from cricket, insisting ‘lives will be lost’ if they do not.

Earlier this month, Rafiq opened up about his experiences of ‘institutional racism’ while playing for Yorkshire, revealing the abuse left him on the brink of committing suicide.

And speaking exclusively to former England international Darren Gough on talkSPORT, Rafiq has claimed he was reluctant to speak about his struggles in fear that he would be expelled from the sport.

“There’s a problem in society,” he told Drive. “Everyone thought there wasn’t a problem in cricket but you’ve been round the game and I’ve been round the game.

“Cricket is being run by a very closely knit group and a lot of things are being kept under the wraps. You’re not really left with any option but to keep quiet or you’re out of the game.”

Yorkshire County Cricket Club (CCC) said they had launched a formal investigation following Rafiq’s remarks last week.

And the 29-year-old revealed he is receiving messages from a current player at the club who is struggling with similar abuse.

“The problem is through all age groups right up to the top,” Rafiq added. “It’s a massive worry when I get a message from a current academy player saying he can relate to it.

“This worried me because right up until the end I didn’t want to believe it, but when a 16-year-old says it that really concerns me.

“I’ve not had a chance to respond to it but it really concerned me when I got the message.

“There’s so many people who wanted to come out and speak about it but didn’t want to put their neck on the line. That hurt me the most.”

Rafiq, who was born in Pakistan and moved to England when he was 10, finished by urging authorities to stamp out the abuse that is prevalent in the game, insisting ‘lives will be lost’ if they fail to take action.

“A hell of a lot of people saw what happened to me,” he said. “I went for help in a lot of different places but no one was willing to put their neck on their line to stop these arrogant people from doing what they want.

“They left no stone uncovered to end me.

“There’s got to be accountability for this to change. There’s a reason I have not named names as it loses the purpose of what I want to achieve.

“I’m 29 and feel like my time has gone. They’ve turned a young lad who is so confident, borderline overconfident and arrogant into a guy who is literally petrified to leave his house at night.

“I feel like my time has gone. It worries me that there could be people in the same situation right now. We need to act and act now because lives will be lost if we don’t.”

https://talksport.com/sport/cricket/756029/former-yorkshire-azeem-rafiq-racism-cricket/

 

[Hasan123]

Exactly so. As far as I have read he is not attributing his lack of success to racism. But no one should be called a *aki (or worse).

Fortunately, the majority of BAME players do not seem to experience this (or at least have not commented on it). Their respective capabilities as players is irrelevant.
It is not acceptable in any situation — zero tolerance to racism in all spheres. That should be the standard we aspire to in the UK.

I will admit most of the Asian players England have selected have not been good enough. But on this occasion he is talking about racism he received. Not that this is why he didn't live upto expectations.

It should be investigated.

 

[HitWicket]

And the 29-year-old revealed he is receiving messages from a current player at the club who is struggling with similar abuse.

“The problem is through all age groups right up to the top,” Rafiq added. “It’s a massive worry when I get a message from a current academy player saying he can relate to it.

“This worried me because right up until the end I didn’t want to believe it, but when a 16-year-old says it that really concerns me.

“I’ve not had a chance to respond to it but it really concerned me when I got the message.

Pretty poor form to talk about how people fear the repercussions of coming forward about the issue and then come out and essentially name a 16 year old in the media who's tried to approach you about the issue but you haven't responded to...

 

[shaz619]

Pretty poor form to talk about how people fear the repercussions of coming forward about the issue and then come out and essentially name a 16 year old in the media who's tried to approach you about the issue but you haven't responded to...

Jesus christ I know the Hampshire lot are not blessed with any brains or an ilk of common sense but even for them they could surely comprehend the fact that said individual was not named and how the academy is not made up of a single 16 year old, however I think it is worrying that you feel that the white supremacists would look into targetting every single young 16 year old as a result. White people always deflect from the issue at hand when it comes to race, you still haven't apologised for it, just by being born white you breed racism and it is clear in your vile speech and views

 

[Saj]

He's stated that a 16 year old academy player has said that he's experiencing the same problems.

This could cause huge problems for that young man.

 

[HitWicket]

Jesus christ I know the Hampshire lot are not blessed with any brains or an ilk of common sense but even for them they could surely comprehend the fact that said individual was not named and how the academy is not made up of a single 16 year old, however I think it is worrying that you feel that the white supremacists would look into targetting every single young 16 year old as a result. White people always deflect from the issue at hand when it comes to race, you still haven't apologised for it, just by being born white you breed racism and it is clear in your vile speech and views

I know you struggle a bit but I'm pretty sure even you could work out the name of the lad given Yorkshire's current academy intake is 11 players, 2 of which are Asian with their ages readily published, doesn't exactly take a genius... He's as well as named him.

Funny how you assumed I'm white as well just because I've pointed out it's pretty poor from Rafiq to essentially name a kid who's come to him in private, when he himself has acknowledged the fact people are reluctant to go public due to potential repercussions (his own words not mine), and hasn't even made contact with the kid himself.

 

[the Great Khan]

Only in this company? Also are you at a higher level role?

lets put it this way..in all my years of working in the UK i havent worked in an institution that isnt racist or full of racists..and I'll be even more controversial, my worst experiences have been with white female managers..

 

[sabre1486]

And if he has been discriminated against, he deserves no sympathy because of his past behavior.

The ECB administrator rightly stated that you reap what you sow. He got what he deserved.

This is absolutely ludicrous. Being a bad cricketer, or an overly aggressive one does not merit being discriminated against. You probably think Mario Balotelli deserves monkey chants because he is a *****ly character.

 

[MenInG]

Guys - keep thread on topic - Lets not discuss posters but views connected to this topic only.

 

[Sidilicious]

lets put it this way..in all my years of working in the UK i havent worked in an institution that isnt racist or full of racists..and I'll be even more controversial, my worst experiences have been with white female managers..

I have been lucky to have never faced any form of discrimination either professionally or personally in the UK. However, I have only lived in London. Also, I drink and socialize with my colleagues. I understand that people who do not drink will have a different experience to those who do. Not being able to socialise with colleagues has significant disadvantages, especially in cultures where heading to the pub after work for a pint is very common.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Moeen Ali becomes the first Asian cricketer to captain England in T20Is. He's also the first Asian cricketer to captain England in any format since Nasser Hussain in 2003 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/P0iDBbIO3G">pic.twitter.com/P0iDBbIO3G</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1303378087015600128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

I have been lucky to have never faced any form of discrimination either professionally or personally in the UK. However, I have only lived in London. Also, I drink and socialize with my colleagues. I understand that people who do not drink will have a different experience to those who do. Not being able to socialise with colleagues has significant disadvantages, especially in cultures where heading to the pub after work for a pint is very common.

Guys please keep thread on topic.

Thanks

 

[Rana]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Moeen Ali becomes the first Asian cricketer to captain England in T20Is. He's also the first Asian cricketer to captain England in any format since Nasser Hussain in 2003 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/P0iDBbIO3G">pic.twitter.com/P0iDBbIO3G</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1303378087015600128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He should have been the captain for Lahore Qalandars also. Respect

 

[Rana]

Along with Kaneria, this is another good case in point.

Continues to avoid he does.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I have been lucky to have never faced any form of discrimination either professionally or personally in the UK. However, I have only lived in London. Also, I drink and socialize with my colleagues. I understand that people who do not drink will have a different experience to those who do. Not being able to socialise with colleagues has significant disadvantages, especially in cultures where heading to the pub after work for a pint is very common.

Immigrants have slightly different expectations to those who are brought up English.

 

[JaDed]

Immigrants have slightly different expectations to those who are brought up English.

True, happens in all developed countries where Desis are migrating to.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

As Sidilicious has himself admitted, he has only lived in London, and by that I am assuming inner London, which is very different from other parts of the country. Central London is so multicultural that you would more likely bump into a foreigner if you were out walking the streets than an Englishman. I would imagine the experience would be drastically different were you living in Grimsby.

 

[the Great Khan]

I have been lucky to have never faced any form of discrimination either professionally or personally in the UK. However, I have only lived in London. Also, I drink and socialize with my colleagues. I understand that people who do not drink will have a different experience to those who do. Not being able to socialise with colleagues has significant disadvantages, especially in cultures where heading to the pub after work for a pint is very common.

I have worked in London. It is a different beast. Come beyond the watford gap and you'll see the difference. I didnt drink in London and had no major problems with the team. the issues were with white managers who had a problem with the fact i either knew more than them, they were islamaphobic and racist and / or were in trouble themselves so needed a convenient scapegoat. In this case the pakistani muslim guy. Easy target.

Then there is the glass ceiling when trying to get into senior roles. Thats a whole anotehr ball game, with favouritism, blatant disregard for interview rules, discrimination etc..The UK is full of this kind of nonsense..

 

[MenInG]

The Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s Board has appointed a sub-committee to carry out a review following allegations made in the media by Azeem Rafiq.

The sub-committee will want advice in this process. They have considered the credentials of Squire Patton Boggs to provide legal advice, and are in agreement that they are appointed by the Club, to assist in this matter.

The sub-committee has co-opted Dr Samir Pathak who will act as Chair. Dr Pathak is a Trustee of the MCC Foundation, a member of the MCC cricket committee, an Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Bristol, and a Liver and Pancreas Surgeon at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Pathak has a great passion for playing cricket and has also represented England Universities, playing as a wicketkeeper batsman.

Gulfraz Riaz has also been co-opted onto the sub-committee. Mr Riaz is the Chairman of the National Asian Cricket Council (NACC) and has worked as a Cricket Development Manager at Club Cricket Conference for the past eight years.

Stephen Willis, Chief Financial Officer at Durham University and Senior Independent Director at The Yorkshire County Cricket Club will join the sub-committee, along with Hanif Malik OBE.

Mr Malik is an Independent Director at The Yorkshire County Cricket Club and was founder of the Hamara Healthy Living Centre in Leeds, spending 20 years working as Chief Executive. Mr Malik also held the title of Non-Executive Director at Sport England for six years.

Commenting on his appointment as Chair, Dr Pathak said: “Being of British-Indian heritage and having been born in Yorkshire, it is an honour to chair this sub-committee which will review the serious grievances raised.

“There is a need for all organisations to be diverse and inclusive. My heritage means that I have a deep-rooted interest in equality within sport and society, and I aim to be as impartial as possible throughout this fair and independent investigation.”

On behalf of the NACC, Mr Riaz added: “The National Asian Cricket Council is grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to what is an important review for Azeem, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the game more broadly.

“In the first instance, it will be crucial to understand the precise nature of Azeem’s grievances and to ensure that following a thorough and transparent review, a suitable outcome is reached.

“Beyond that, the National Asian Cricket Council looks forward to being able to contribute more holistically to recommendations that move us all closer to best practice. We feel strongly that cricket is a game for everyone.”

 

[shaz619]

I know you struggle a bit but I'm pretty sure even you could work out the name of the lad given Yorkshire's current academy intake is 11 players, 2 of which are Asian with their ages readily published, doesn't exactly take a genius... He's as well as named him.

Funny how you assumed I'm white as well just because I've pointed out it's pretty poor from Rafiq to essentially name a kid who's come to him in private, when he himself has acknowledged the fact people are reluctant to go public due to potential repercussions (his own words not mine), and hasn't even made contact with the kid himself.

Quiet clearly the mental challenge must exist in certain parts of the country where they rely on assumptions and hypothetical scenarios rather then fact, but clearly since you are raising this and it is something to be concerned about then the systemic racism must be of a greater concern. On top of that unless you have some personal or a relation which is a bit too close with the kid I doubt you are aware of the truth in its entirety, he could have asked Rafiq to raise his concerns through him withput explicitly being named, obviously there are white supremacists and creeps who will do the extra digging to work that out though but in the grand scheme it is hardly relevant. And whiteness doesn't need to be visible in the exterior, in can be from the interior to when we raise irrelevant points compared to the wider problem which is racism at yorkshire

 

[HitWicket]

Quiet clearly the mental challenge must exist in certain parts of the country where they rely on assumptions and hypothetical scenarios rather then fact, but clearly since you are raising this and it is something to be concerned about then the systemic racism must be of a greater concern. On top of that unless you have some personal or a relation which is a bit too close with the kid I doubt you are aware of the truth in its entirety, he could have asked Rafiq to raise his concerns through him withput explicitly being named, obviously there are white supremacists and creeps who will do the extra digging to work that out though but in the grand scheme it is hardly relevant. And whiteness doesn't need to be visible in the exterior, in can be from the interior to when we raise irrelevant points compared to the wider problem which is racism at yorkshire

If the kid didn't want to be named then Rafiq probably shouldn't have given out information that makes him instantly identifiable to anyone involved with the academy or anyone with 30 seconds spare and a computer? Rafiq is talking about institutional racism within the club and the fear people have of going public with it due to repercussions. He's talking about that whilst making a 16 year old kid's (who is within the club) private comments public and identifying him to everyone he's involved with within the club... It's perplexing that you cannot see the issue with that if there's systematic racism within the club and the fear of repercussions is very real.

 

[shaz619]

If the kid didn't want to be named then Rafiq probably shouldn't have given out information that makes him instantly identifiable to anyone involved with the academy or anyone with 30 seconds spare and a computer? Rafiq is talking about institutional racism within the club and the fear people have of going public with it due to repercussions. He's talking about that whilst making a 16 year old kid's (who is within the club) private comments public and identifying him to everyone he's involved with within the club... It's perplexing that you cannot see the issue with that.

Its about being afraid to come forward right, so he could have got Rafiq to speak for him, standing up and doing the right thing despite the fears which exist, its mad you can't comprehend that. It is worrying the '30 sec and a spare computer' comment though because if there are supremacists who would go that far and think that way its a risk, but here clearly its all aboit being vocal about these issues and taking that risk to prevent the racism which should be the main focus here not the whitey narrative

 

[HitWicket]

Its about being afraid to come forward right, so he could have got Rafiq to speak for him, standing up and doing the right thing despite the fears which exist, its mad you can't comprehend that. It is worrying the '30 sec and a spare computer' comment though because if there are supremacists who would go that far and think that way its a risk, but here clearly its all aboit being vocal about these issues and taking that risk to prevent the racism which should be the main focus here not the whitey narrative

The primary issue isn't going to be with people outside the club who can now identify him, it's going to be those he's involved with inside the club, a system which Rafiq has made clear he feels is blatantly racist, who now know that. You can be vocal about an issue without dragging a kid into it and potentially making his issue much worse as well.

 

[MenInG]

The primary issue isn't going to be with people outside the club who can now identify him, it's going to be those he's involved with inside the club, a system which Rafiq has made clear he feels is blatantly racist, who now know that. You can be vocal about an issue without dragging a kid into it and potentially making his issue much worse as well.

So in the current environment where Azeem has spoken out against this, do you think anyone would dare harm/question that kid?

And not speaking about it is exactly what should NOT be happening.

Let the kid's name come out, let there be no place for anyone to hide if they are discriminating on basis of race/religion etc

 

[HitWicket]

So in the current environment where Azeem has spoken out against this, do you think anyone would dare harm/question that kid?

And not speaking about it is exactly what should NOT be happening.

Let the kid's name come out, let there be no place for anyone to hide if they are discriminating on basis of race/religion etc

Unfortunately with systematic racism there's going to be many issues with things that aren't direct harm though, it's with things that are never going to get proven that can be brushed away for other reasons that still harm the player.

Yes, players should be encouraged to talk about any issues they have. If this kid wanted to make any issues he had public then good on him. The fact he's gone to someone he could thought he could relate to in private and then essentially been outed in the press without even getting a response from the person is pretty poor.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Unfortunately with systematic racism there's going to be many issues with things that aren't direct harm though, it's with things that are never going to get proven that can be brushed away for other reasons that still harm the player.

Yes, players should be encouraged to talk about any issues they have. If this kid wanted to make any issues he had public then good on him. The fact he's gone to someone he could thought he could relate to in private and then essentially been outed in the press without even getting a response from the person is pretty poor.

He hasn't really been outed though, even if it's not that difficult to work out who it is from the information given. All that's really happened is that those at Yorkshire will have an idea that this kid might be struggling with similar issues, and I would have thought it's good that they are now aware of it.

 

[zee]

Re Adil Rashid, Not sure there was much support from Yorkshire when he was being considered by England for red ball cricket. I do remember reading about it off and on but not sure about the exact details

 

[The Viper]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A message from me. <a href="https://t.co/AkKPCIFiPR">pic.twitter.com/AkKPCIFiPR</a></p>— Moin Ashraf (@MoinA23) <a href="https://twitter.com/MoinA23/status/1303754000332881926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Bigboii]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A message from me. <a href="https://t.co/AkKPCIFiPR">pic.twitter.com/AkKPCIFiPR</a></p>— Moin Ashraf (@MoinA23) <a href="https://twitter.com/MoinA23/status/1303754000332881926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Umm...

I think he'll be against Rafeeq's allegations
saying he was a tricky character that's the feeling (vibe,energy) I am getting from this tweet

Hope I am wrong tho...

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Umm...

I think he'll be against Rafeeq's allegations
saying he was a tricky character that's the feeling (vibe,energy) I am getting from this tweet

Hope I am wrong tho...

The vibe I'm getting is that he will do whatever he needs to do to preserve his own career, and that would probably be to side with the club which employs him. He's not got much to gain by admitting to Rafeeq's version, would most likely damage his career.

 

[Saj]

Interesting chat with Rana Naved......watch this space.