England player Adel Rashid supports Rafik’s allegations of racism against Vaughan | cricket

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England’s Adel Rashid has announced his support for Azim Rafeeq’s allegations against Michael Vaughan regarding comments he made to “a group of us Asian players”.

Rashid, who made 199 appearances for his country and was a key part of the World Cup winning team in 2019, has spent his entire career in Yorkshire but previously kept his advice on the racism crisis that has engulfed the club.

That changed on Monday morning, when he released a statement via The Cricketer repeating Rafeeq’s allegations against the former England captain. Vaughan revealed earlier this month that he had been named in the independent investigation into Rafeeq’s case, but outright denied telling a group of Asian-American teammates: “It’s so much yours, we need to do something about it.”

Rashid wrote: “I wanted to focus as much as possible on my cricket and avoid distractions that damage the team, but I can vouch for a great companion to remember Michael Vaughan’s comments to a group of us Asian players.”

The Bradford-born leggy player made his debut with Yorkshire’s first team 15 years ago and is one of the county’s most successful players in recent times, finally as a limited specialist.

He made no new allegations against any of those he’s played with or over the past years, but he welcomed recent steps taken to highlight the matter, including Tuesday’s Digital, Cultural, Media and Sports Commission hearing. He also noted his willingness to assist “official efforts” in the future.

“Racism is a cancer in all walks of life and unfortunately in professional sports as well, which of course has to be eradicated,” he said.

“I am encouraged by the fact that a parliamentary committee appears to be trying to improve the situation, whether that is by holding people accountable or making changes at the institutional level. These could just be positive developments. I would of course be more than happy to support any official efforts when the time is right. But in At the moment, these matters are of a very personal nature and I will not comment on them further. I ask that you respect my privacy and allow me to focus on my cricket.”

Speaking to the Palestinian News Agency from his home in Kentsford earlier this month, Vaughan said, “I have never said anything racist in my life. I know that in my life I have never said anything racist to anyone. So, this is what I stand by.”

However, he was left out from his hosting role on the Tuffers and Vaughan Show on BBC Radio 5 last week. The PA has contacted the institution for a new comment.

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