England captain Stokes apologizes after cricket report exposes racism and sexism | Cricket

England captain Ben Stokes said on Tuesday he was “deeply sorry” to learn of the extent of discrimination in the sport after a damning report revealed “widespread” racism, sexism and classism in the game.

His comments followed the release of the Independent Equality Commission for Cricket (ICEC) in its much-anticipated report ‘Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket’.

The commission, set up by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), makes 44 recommendations, including that the government make an “unreserved public apology” for its failings.

The ICEC was established in 2021 following a racism scandal centered on the treatment of Pakistani-born bowler Azeem Rafiq in Yorkshire.

In a separate development, the ECB said the provincial club should be fined 500,000 ($638,000) and deduct points for its handling of the case.

Of the more than 4,000 people interviewed for the ICEC report, 50 per cent said they had experienced discrimination in the past five years, with figures significantly higher for people from ethnically diverse communities.

Women are treated as “subordinate” to men at all levels of cricket, the report said, adding that they are paid “a pitifully low salary” compared to their male counterparts.

It recommends that match fees for men’s and women’s teams be “immediately equalised”.

The ICEC report also states that not enough has been done to remove class barriers in the game, with fee-paying private schools dominating the talent pathway.

-“Indistinct”-

“Our results are unequivocal,” said ICEC President Cindy Butts. “Racism, classism, elitism and sexism are widespread and deeply entrenched.

“The game needs to face up to the fact that it is not a prank or just a few bad apples. Discrimination is both overt and embedded in the structures and processes of cricket.”

Stokes and England Women’s skipper Heather Knight gave evidence, along with whistleblower Rafiq.

Stokes was reacting to the release of the report on the eve of the second Ashes Test against Australia, which starts at Lord’s on Wednesday.

“To those people in the game who have been made to feel unwelcome or unwelcome in the past, I am deeply sorry for your experience,” he said.

“Cricket is a game that needs to celebrate diversity on all fronts because without diversity this game would not be where it is today.”

He added: “Everyone has a different story to tell. I’m Ben Stokes, born in New Zealand, a state-educated pupil who left school at 16 with one GCSE (diploma) in PE.

“I need help with the spelling and grammar in this speech and I’m currently sitting here as England’s men’s test captain.”

– ‘Opportunity’ –

The report praised the ECB for its courage in opening itself up to “uncomfortable independent scrutiny”.

ECB President Richard Thompson, who took up his post last year, said the organization was “using this moment to reset cricket”.

“On behalf of the ECB and the wider leadership of the game, I apologize unreservedly to anyone who has ever been shut out of cricket or made to feel that they don’t belong,” he said.

– Cricket should be a game for everyone, and we know that hasn’t always been the case.

“The report’s powerful conclusions also highlight that for too long women and black people have been neglected. We are truly sorry for this.”

Rafiq was pleased with the findings and acknowledged the “exceptional work” that had been done in the study.

“There is now no doubt that the game we all love has suffered from institutionalized discrimination, including racism,” he said.

“This report is an opportunity to fully reflect on what has happened and for the governing structures of sport to find a way forward.”

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the report “makes difficult reading”.

The ECB’s sanction recommendations for Yorkshire were presented to the Independent Cricket Board on Tuesday.

Yorkshire admitted four charges in February, while six former Yorkshire players were sanctioned by the CDC last month after being found guilty of using racist language.

This story has been published from the news agency feed without changes to the text.