Rafiq believes Yorkshire should be allowed to host international cricket again

Yorkshire
County
Cricket
Club
was
suspended
by
the
England
and
Wales
Cricket
Board
(ECB)
from
hosting
international
cricket
in
November
in
response
to
the
county’s
handing
of
allegations
of
institutional
racism
made
by
Rafiq.

However,
the
former
spin
bowler
–
who
had
two
spells
with
the
team
between
2008
and
2018
–
has
said
the
county
has
“done
enough”
to
warrant
having
that
suspension
lifted.

The
ECB
said
at
the
time
of
the
suspension
that
it
would
remain
until
Yorkshire
“clearly
demonstrated
that
it
can
meet
the
standards
expected”.

Several
high-profile
figures
at
the
county
either
resigned
or
were
sacked
over
the
handling
of
the
allegations.

Former
chairman
Roger
Hutton
has
been
replaced
by
Lord
Patel,
while
director
of
cricket
Martyn
Moxon
has
been
succeeded
by
former
Yorkshire
and
England
fast
bowler
Darren
Gough.

Chief
executive
Mark
Arthur
also
resigned,
and
first-team
coach
Andrew
Gale
was
sacked.

“I
want
to
see
England
playing
at
Headingley
this
summer,”
Rafiq
wrote
in
the
Daily
Mail.

“At
first
in
all
this,
I
believed
international
cricket
should
be
taken
away
from
them,
but
they
have
done
enough
to
warrant
getting
it
back,
for
now
at
least.

“They
should
be
given
back
the
international
cricket
so
vital
to
their
very
survival.

“If
we
are
asking
an
institution
to
look
at
itself,
then
we
should
recognise
when
it
begins
to
show
it
is
genuinely
sorry
and
attempts
to
start
putting
things
right.

“Yorkshire
need
to
be
supported
and
helped
to
move
in
that
right
direction.”

The
third
Test
against
world
champions
New
Zealand
that
had
been
scheduled
to
take
place
at
Headingley
before
the
suspension
was
imposed
begins
on
June
23.

Rafiq
also
spoke
highly
of
the
appointment
of
Gough
as
director
of
cricket
at
Yorkshire,
citing
their
previous
relationship
as
team-mates.

“It’s
no
secret
we
are
friends
since
he
was
one
of
my
first
captains
and
we
have
always
stayed
in
touch,”
he
added.

“I’m
encouraged
by
his
involvement,
not
least
because
the
game
needs
people
like
him
back
directly
involved.”

Rafiq
said
at
a
DCMS
select
committee
hearing
in
November
that
he
believed
English
cricket
to
be
“institutionally
racist”,
and
again
emphasised
that
more
change
is
needed
in
the
game,
not
just
at
his
former
county.

“I
am
not
saying
everything
is
now
hunky-dory
at
my
old
county
and
we
can
all
move
on,”
he
said.

“Yorkshire
must
be
kept
under
review
to
make
sure
this
really
is
the
start
of
something
important
and
meaningful
–
everything
is
not
fine
yet,
not
by
a
long
way.

“It
just
seems
outside
the
county
everyone
wants
to
throw
the
book
at
Yorkshire
and
my
concern
is
some
want
to
do
that
in
order
to
make
themselves
look
better
or
deflect
attention
away
from
their
[own]
issues.

“I
don’t
agree
with
that
because
it
will
not
drive
change.

“There
are
thousands
of
cases
outside
Yorkshire
and
what
is
happening
to
them
today
could
easily
happen
to
another
county
tomorrow.”

An
ECB
investigation
into
the
allegations
is
ongoing.