Former England captain Michael Vaughan will not play a role in the BBC coverage of this year’s Ashes cricket tour following allegations made by former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq.

In a statement, the BBC said: “While he is involved in a significant story in cricket, for editorial reasons we do not believe that it would be appropriate for Michael Vaughan to have a role in our Ashes team or wider coverage of the sport at the moment.

“We require our contributors to talk about relevant topics and his involvement in the Yorkshire story represents a conflict of interest.”

Rafiq has called for the entire leadership team at Yorkshire County Cricket Club to resign after he revealed the scale of racism he had suffered while playing for the team to a committee of MPs at Westminster.

He has accused Vaughan of saying “there’s too many of you lot” – in reference to four players of Asian descent in the Yorkshire team – at a 2009 game.

Vaughan has “categorically” denied making the remark and claimed his reputation was being “trashed unfairly”.

During a 30-year career as both a cricketer and a commentator, he said he had “never been accused of anything remotely similar”, adding that to be confronted with such an allegation “11 years after it has supposed to have happened” is the “worst thing I have ever experienced”.

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