Michael Vaughan: Hearing of racism in Yorkshire cricket is a ‘terrible search’

Former England captain Michael Vaughan says the disciplinary handling of racism allegations in Yorkshire is a “terrible look” for cricket.

Vaughan has “absolutely and categorically” denied the accusation – and did so again when giving evidence for the first time at Friday’s hearing.

However, the former Yorkshire captain, who retired in 2009, apologised “disgusting” historical tweets which were first brought to his attention in 2021 in an interview with the BBC.

Jane Mulcahy KC, solicitor for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which prosecuted Vaughan, suggested that “the tweets are remarkably similar in tone to the allegation” – which Vaughan denied.

Vaughan, 48, was critical of the two-and-a-half-year process, saying he met with Rafiq in November 2021 because “the whole situation was escalating out of control”.

At that meeting, Vaughan said he apologized to Rafiq for the former spinner’s injury in Yorkshire – but did not accept the alleged comment.

Vaughan repeated that denial on Friday, saying: “I can’t apologize for something I don’t remember saying.”

Rafiq said on Thursday that Vaughan’s actions after the meeting had left him feeling “naive”.

“It hasn’t been easy for anybody,” Vaughan said under Mulcahy’s cross-examination.

“This is not the right process to deal with word-for-word comments 14 years ago.

“For former team-mates to be fighting over it on hearsay is a terrible look for the game and a really poor view of how cricket has handled this situation.”

Vaughan jokes about the “sports issue” during the hearing

Before this week’s hearings, Yorkshire had pleaded guilty to four amended ECB charges, which also saw the county admit they had failed to address “the systemic use of racist or discriminatory language” at the club over a long period, including Rafiq’s career. .

Vaughan’s former teammate, former Yorkshire and England bowler Matthew Hoggard has admitted to using a racial slur related to his Pakistani heritage and another racist term offensive in South Africa at the club.

Vaughan repeatedly denied hearing such racial slurs in Yorkshire.

When asked to confirm the number of years he had played alongside Hoggard in both Yorkshire and England, Vaughan quipped: “It’s like a sporting question.”

The former batsman, who took up work as a BBC pundit after retiring in 2009, said he had a “very clear mind” about the match in question against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on 22 June 2009.

He said he “knows” he would not comment on Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan as he was “proud” that it was the first time four Asian players had been in the same side . Yorkshire and it was a sign of how far the county had come.

England spinner Rashid and former Yorkshire and Pakistan bowler Naved-ul-Hasan have corroborated Rafiq’s claim.

The fourth player in the group, former England bowler Shahzad, has said he does not remember it happening.

Vaughan admitted the alleged comment was unacceptable and racist, but insisted he did not say it, in part because it would have affected his team-mates’ morale and possibly their performance.

“I make sure people are loved,” added Vaughan.

Vaughan also denied saying the alleged comment as a joke.

When Mulcahy raised some of the historical tweets sent by Vaughan – some containing references to foreign call center workers and the number of English people living in London – he admitted they would be offensive to Rafiq.

He said that he participated in e.g diversity online course while working in Australia covering the 2021-22 Ashes because he “wanted to be a leader in the game”.

Rafiq is accused of playing the “race card”.

Matthew Wood, who was his director of personal development at the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), accused Rafiq of saying he was prepared to use the “race card” for personal gain.

In his witness statement, Wood claimed Rafiq said he would “hit them with the competition card” if Yorkshire did not offer him a new deal at a meeting in August 2018.

Wood also claimed that Rafiq “pretended to be Asian” to get a place on the ECB’s coaching course, despite missing the deadline.

Mulcahy said Wood did not include the “race card” claim in the original Yorkshire inquiry’s original interview because “Rafiq didn’t play the race card”.

Rafiq’s witness statement also said Wood’s claim about the coaching class discussion was a “strange claim”.

Wood said he did not mention it because “it was such a volatile” situation, but he later called the law firm to relay the “race card” points and also told the PCA about the comments.

Mulcahy questioned why Wood “went” behind Rafiq’s back and suggested he was “at pains” to support Vaughan in these proceedings “no matter what”.

Wood said he disagreed and that he “wasn’t on anybody’s side.”

The ECB defends the investigation

Among the witnesses heard on Friday was Meena Botros, the ECB’s head of legal and integrity, who was in charge of the governing body’s investigation into the Yorkshire allegations.

Vaughan’s lawyer Christopher Stoner KC criticized the ECB’s handling of the investigations and questioned why it did not speak to everyone in and around the Yorkshire team when Vaughan allegedly made the “you lot” comment in 2009.

Stoner asked why the ECB did not speak to the two referees, the Sky cameraman who recorded the conversation and some of the other Yorkshire players in the squad that day.

Botros said “no one has suggested the umpires were close enough to hear it” and the Sky footage showed they were “not close to the hustle”.

He added that the cameraman also did not make a “suggestion” and “it was assumed that he had headphones on”.

Botros said they “were unable to get contact information for some players, and others either did not want to participate or had made their position ‘very clear.’

He added that he was “not aware” of Vaughan’s legal team pursuing those lines of inquiry, saying: “If you think it’s that important, it may have been addressed.”

Processing continues until March 9.

The panel has yet to hear the ECB’s claims against former Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale and former bowling coach Richard Pyrah. both retired of the process.