Former England captain Michael Vaughan has “completely and categorically” denied allegations he was racist towards Azeem Rafiq and his other Asian Yorkshire team-mates over a decade ago.

It comes as cricket’s governing body in England and Wales announced the club will not be able to host major matches.

Yorkshire County Cricket Club is due to hold an emergency meeting today after a number of sponsors cut ties with the club.

Now, Ashes winner Vaughan revealed he was asked to take part in independent panel investigations into the allegations of racism at Yorkshire in December 2020.

It was claimed in 2009 ahead of a match against Nottinghamshire Vaughan said to Rafiq and two other Asian players there are “too many of you lot, we need to do something about it”.

Vaughan said he had no idea he was invited to speak to the panel until he was told the allegations but said: “I have nothing to hide.”

Writing in The Telegraph, he said: “This hit me very hard. It was like being struck over the head with a brick. I have been involved in cricket for 30 years and never once been accused of any remotely similar incident or disciplinary offence as a player or commentator.

Yorkshire cricket: Club’s board to discuss Azeem Rafiq’s racism allegations in unscheduled board meeting on Friday

Yorkshire cricket racism: Ex-England cricketer Gary Ballance admits using racial slur against teammate Azeem Rafiq

Azeem Rafiq: Sponsors distance themselves from Yorkshire cricket club amid racism claims

“That the allegation came completely out of the blue and more than a decade after it was alleged to have happened made it all the more difficult to process.

“I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words. I responded to the panel by saying I was gobsmacked and that my professional legal advice was that I could not appear before a panel having had just a few hours’ notice of such serious claims made against me.”

Earlier on Thursday cricket’s governing body in England and Wales announced Yorkshire County Cricket Club has been indefinitely banned from hosting international or major matches after its “wholly unacceptable” handling of racial harassment claims.

Previously, an independent report found Rafiq had been the victim of “racial harassment and bullying” at the club.

It has since emerged that the panel determined repeated use of the word “P***” against the spinner was delivered “in the spirit of friendly banter”.

The cricket governing board said in a statement: “The ECB find this matter abhorrent and against the spirit of cricket and its values. There is no place for racism or any form of discrimination in cricket and where it is found, swift action must be taken. This matter must be dealt with robustly if the sport is to demonstrate its commitment to truly being a game for everyone.

“Given recent events, it is clear there are serious questions regarding the governance and management of Yorkshire CCC. The club’s failure in relation to actions and responses to their own report represents a significant breach of its obligations to the game.

“As a governing body with duties to act for all in cricket, the ECB Board reaffirmed its commitment to taking decisions in the best interests of the whole game. It also agreed that sanctions including, but not limited to, financial and future major match allocations may be considered at the conclusion of our investigations.

“In the meantime, YCCC are suspended from hosting international or major matches until it has clearly demonstrated that it can meet the standards expected of an international venue, ECB member and First Class County.”

I note the statement from the ECB. I need a little time to reflect on what the ECB has said this evening and the actions they’re proposing to take. I will not be commenting further at this time. https://t.co/5ulmHLXJN6

Rafiq played for the club in two spells between 2008 and 2018 and played with former England cricketer Gary Ballance, who said he regretted using a racial slur against Rafiq.

On Wednesday, Rafiq responded after his former teammate Gary Ballance admitted using the racial slur saying the problem is “not really about the words of certain individuals” but rather “institutional racism”.

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