An independent assessment of racism in Scotland will begin next month

An independent review of racism in Scottish cricket will begin next month with a broad ‘consultation and engagement’ at all at the heart of the study.

After former Scottish players Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh, who claimed the country’s governing body for sport was “institutionally racist”, it was announced last week that an independent assessment would be carried out.

Plan4Sport, described by sportscotland, the country’s national sports agency, as a “highly experienced expert in the field of equality, diversity and inclusion,” oversees research designed to create a confidential space where individuals can share their experiences and evaluate Cricket Scotland’s work. policies and procedures.

A full public report full of recommendations that Cricket Scotland needs to address will then be distributed and Sportcotland will be held accountable.

Stewart Harris, CEO of Sportscotland, said: “Racism and all forms of discrimination must never be tolerated in sport, and we are committed to helping to solve problems where they exist. It is therefore very important that there is a full independent inquiry into racism in Scottish cricket.

“This is going to be a difficult time for many people involved in sports, but it’s important that we all take the time to listen to what’s being said and, most importantly, take action to fix things. This will not happen overnight, but over time I hope that sport can improve and that together we can help rebuild confidence.

Dr. Fiona Bartels-Ellis, Aneel Javed, Sharon Girling, Lucy Faulkner, Tunde Banjoko and Chris Gibbons will join Louise Tideswell, CEO of Plan4Sport, to work on the review.

Tideswell said: “Sportscotland has involved us in doing this crucial work. We listen to people and give them a confidential safe space to tell their stories and share their experiences.

“The team involved in the assessment has a very diverse background and some have also experienced discrimination, so we know how important it is to be heard and change where it is needed.”

Haq, who scored 88 goals in 75 matches on the Scottish national team between 2006 and 2015, was sent home from the 2015 World Cup after sending a tweet suggesting that he was relegated to a match against Sri Lanka for competition-related reasons.

Following the racism crisis in England’s country cricket, the Cricket Board of England and Wales published a 12-point, game-wide action plan to combat racism and all forms of discrimination.

Sue Strachan, president of Cricket Scotland, said: “Cricket Scotland and its regional federations, the Cricket Scotland Match Officials and Umpires Association (CSMOA) and the Scottish Cricketers Association (SCA) are fully committed to working with Plan4Sport and Sportscotland to help this independent organization.

“We are making change where it is necessary to ensure that there is no place for racism or discrimination in cricket in Scotland.”