In response to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee report, Yorkshire County Cricket Club makes the following statement.
Professor The Lord Patel of Bradford OBE, Chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, said:
“We welcome the Select Committee’s call for demonstrable action to rid our sport of racism and discrimination. Azeem Rafiq’s testimony was a watershed moment for the sport as a whole, and we are committed to ensuring that no-one endures the unacceptable experience that he did at Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
“In the last two months Yorkshire County Cricket Club has made significant progress in our efforts to rebuild, and I am heartened that the Committee considers that there is room for optimism in what we have achieved. We share that optimism and have made some real improvements, but we are only at the start of this long and important journey.
“There is a lot of work to do across cricket to create an inclusive, accessible and welcoming sport for people from all backgrounds. It is my fervent hope that Yorkshire County Cricket Club can become a beacon for action and change, and lead the way in delivering the urgent progress which the Committee has called for.
“We will provide regular updates on our progress, as well as working alongside the ECB to deliver its game-wide action plan, using this once-in-a-generation opportunity not only to transform the game in Yorkshire, but also to provide a model for the future of the sport”.
