Cricket-Moeen hopes the Yorkshire racism dispute will lead to change

(Reuters) – England’s versatile player Moeen Ali said he was not surprised by racism raised by Azeem Rafiq against the Yorkshire Cricket Club, but hoped the problem would lead to a change in the sport.

Rafiq, a Pakistani-born former England captain under the age of 19, said he had been subjected to racist violence in September 2020 and had been made an outsider in Yorkshire.

The 30-year-old also said he was considering suicide.

The British Cricket Board banned https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-cricket-england-yor-idUKKBN2HP2EB Yorkshire from hosting international or major matches over Rafiq’s allegations last week, while former chairman Roger Hutton resigned https://www. reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/yorkshire-chairman-resigns-over-racism-row-bbc-2021-11-05 and replaced by https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/new-yorkshire -rafiq-promise-seismic-change-2021-11-08 by Kamlesh Patel.

“I wouldn’t say I’m surprised, but there are probably more stories out there that people haven’t heard of,” Moeen told a news conference Monday.

“The fact that it has appeared is great because forward people (will) think about what they may or may not say about discriminating against people and about people’s feelings and experiences.

“What Azeem has done, he’s not doing it for personal gain, I think he wants change and that’s what he’s pushing for.”

After nearly a year of investigating the allegations, Yorkshire issued a statement in September admitting that Rafiq had been beaten racistly, but the following month the club said no one would be subject to disciplinary action.

Rafiq and senior Yorkshire executives have been invited to testify in front of the Parliamentary Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Panel (DCMS) on 16 November.

(Report by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; edited by Peter Rutherford)