Nasser Hussain says he is “beyond belief” at the “poorly” handled investigation in relation to allegations of racism at Yorkshire brought by Azeem Rafiq.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan had a charge of racism brought against him by the ECB ‘not proved’ as the verdicts from the Cricket Disciplinary Commission’s hearing were released on Friday.
Charges were brought against Vaughan and six other ex-Yorkshire players, as well as the club itself, following allegations made by former bowler Rafiq.
The CDC found that Rafiq and team-mate Adil Rashid – who gave evidence – were “not lying” but mistaken in claiming they heard Vaughan call them ‘you lot’. The panel pointed to inconsistencies in their evidence.
Hussain described the publication of the findings as a “a very sad and bad day [for English cricket] in a long list of sad days on this subject”.
He told Sky Sports News: “In years to come the process will be held up as the gold standard of how not to investigate an allegation of racism.
“I am sure Azeem Rafiq didn’t want it to become about individuals. Beyond belief how you can get through an investigation so poorly and make it about individuals.”
Hussain cautioned that despite the findings, there is still plenty to address to change the culture in English cricket, and it is “time to move forward” and learn from this period.
He said: “Words are incredibly important, and you don’t learn and move on unless you move back. A lot of the stuff that has happened detracts from the wider issues that the game needs to look at. They got the process badly wrong.
“I can only imagine the damage this must have done to various people on both side, and Azeem in particular. What he must have been through, it has been an incredible difficult period for him.
“All I can say is [I hope] that some good comes out of this, and we start to look at the real issues. Now is the time to educate and move forward.”
An ECB statement said that ex-Yorkshire cricketers Tim Bresnan, John Blain, Andrew Gale, Matthew Hoggard and Richard Pyrah have been found liable for a breach of ECB Directive 3.3 for their alleged use of racist and/or discriminatory language.
Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Gary Ballance previously admitted their charges ahead of March’s CDC hearing in London. Vaughan was the only person charged to appear in person.
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Sky Sports News’ James Cole reports that the ECB’s charge against Michael Vaughan has not been proved following accusations of racism against the former England and Yorkshire captain. (Warning: video contains offensive language)
Rafiq: I feel vindicated
The CDC findings come almost three years after Rafiq levelled allegations of racism against Yorkshire Country Cricket Club and individuals within the club.
Speaking to Sky Sports News after the publication of the findings, Rafiq said he has “some closure” now and hopes cricket can move forward.
“I feel very vindicated. When I did that first interview, I had to speak about my experiences and give examples as to why there was racism at Yorkshire and I also said that this shouldn’t become about individuals,” he said.
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Azeem Rafiq reflects on the outcome of the Cricket Disciplinary Commission hearing into allegations of racism at Yorkshire
“I don’t want to get hung up on one individual, for me this is a wider issue. Most importantly, all the pains, it’s been challenging for everyone concerned but if there is going to be any good come out of it, people are going to have to take stock, reflect, learn and the game has got to get better.
“Anyone with a sane mind will accept that the game has not been for everyone.
“I have known from day one what I went through. I felt a bit of closure at the hearing. Hopefully [Friday] is a point where everyone can start to reflect. It’s high time people start putting the game first.”