Counties could risk having ECB funding revoked if they don’t meet 12-point plan

England’s 18 first-class cricket counties will today meet with the ECB and warned they will suffer financially if they don’t adhere to a plan to to improve the diversity of the sport

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Azeem Rafiq: Racism is not banter

England’s 18 first-class county cricket sides risk having funding revoked if they don’t adhere to a 12-point action plan to improve the sport.

Representatives from each side met with representatives of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) at The Oval on Friday to discuss the issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion within the national game.

The meeting follows the evidence that former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq gave to MP’s on Tuesday, detailing the ‘institutionalised racism’ he endured during his two stints with the county.

Rafiq’s explosive testimony included allegations of being frequently referred to as a ‘P**i’, and of Asian players being told to sit near the toilets in the changing rooms. The 30-year-old also said he believed he lost his own career to racism.

Since the revelations, a number of allegations at other clubs have come to light, and the scandal has sent shockwaves through English cricket.

The ECB have also come in for stinging criticism themselves, after initially allowing Yorkshire to hold their own investigation into Rafiq’s claims, with the club concluding that no disciplinary punishment was necessary.

Now though, the authority has asked every county to sign up to a 12-point action plan, along with a stern warning that counties who do not meet certain expectations within the plan risk having their ECB funding revoked.

However, according to Sky Sports , the role of the ECB chair and the position of chief executive Tom Harrison are not on the agenda, although the members may decide that both issues need to be scrutinised.

Among the allegations that Rafiq spoke about to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee this week, was that former Yorkshire captain Garry Ballance would frequently refer to Asian or black players as ‘Kevin’, which he viewed as a derogatory generalisation.

He claimed that Alex Hales, a close friend of Ballance, had even named his black dog Kevin as he found the jibe so funny.

Hales denied that claim, but has found himself at the centre of another racism storm dating back to 2009.

The former England batsman posted a video apologising after pictures emerged of him ‘blacked up’ whilst dressed as late rapper Tupac Shakur at a New Year’s Eve party.

He said he realised now this was “incredibly disrespectful,” and had only done it by way of tribute to the singer.