ECB to 'hold its hands up' and 'learn a lot of lessons' as clubs grapple with racism scandal

ECB to ‘hold its hands up’ and ‘learn a lot of lessons’ as clubs grapple with racism scandal

Nov 19, 2021

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will “hold their hands up” and “learn a lot of lessons” from the growing racism scandal in cricket.

That was the promise from Lincolnshire County Cricket chairman Rob Bradley as he left a crisis meeting of cricket clubs as they try to get a grip on the issue which has engulfed the sport in recent weeks.

Mr Bradley told Sky News: “There is a lot of strong feeling.

“I think the ECB are going to hold their hands up to certain things.

“We’ve got plans going forward which our county and many others subscribe to, so you will be hearing in due course.”

He added: “We’ve got to learn a lot of lessons from this. The game has got to stand up and represent everybody equally.

“It’s in a sorry state, it has to be said, but I think it was a good meeting today to start to address things.”

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The meeting included the chairs of the 18 first-class counties, representatives of the 21 non-first class cricket boards, the national counties cricket association and the MCC.

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Hampshire Cricket Board chairman John Wolfe said that the 64 people involved in the meeting had found “very broad agreement on the direction of travel”, with Chris Clements, chairman of Oxfordshire Cricket, describing the meeting as “very good”.

Howard Moxon, from Bedfordshire Cricket, said those at the meeting had agreed to measures that are “fundamental and far-reaching… right across the game”.

It is understood that a statement of the clubs’ intentions will be released by Wednesday.

Among recent developments in the scandal:

• Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq admitted making antisemitic comments a decade ago, apologising during an interview this week.

Rafiq earlier this month gave tearful testimony to MPs about the racism he had faced when playing for Yorkshire, revelations which sparked the scandal and led cricket bosses to hold Friday’s crisis summit.

• English cricketer Alex Hales also apologised on Friday for appearing in blackface at a party in 2009, branding his behaviour “reckless and foolish”.

• Sports minister Nigel Huddleston on Thursday threatened the sport with an independent regulator, described as the “nuclear option” if it could not get its house in order.

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