AB de Villiers announces retirement from all forms of cricket

Now, Azeem Rafiq apologises for historic anti-semitic remarks

After igniting the debate around discrimination and racism in Cricket, especially in England, after his public outburst against the Yorkshire County, all-rounder Azeem Rafid himself has attracted stern opinions from the people after one of his historic social media posts surfaced online. The post was made in the year 2011 and has been rated “anti-semitic” by all sections of media and his critics. Azeem has issued an apology for the same and shared his emotions of being “ashamed” at writing those posts a decade back. The Times unearthed his exchange with former Warwickshire and Leicestershire player Ateeq Javid where Azeem can be seen criticising an unnamed third player for not spending money as “he is a Jew”. Azeem took to his Twitter account to express his grief and feelings while saying that he is “a different person today” than the one he was as a 19-year-old at the time of those social media exchanges. “I am ashamed of this exchange and have now deleted it so as not to cause further offence. I was 19 at the time and I hope and believe I am a different person today. I am incredibly angry at myself and I apologise to the Jewish community and everyone who is rightly offended by this,” Azeem Rafiq said.

Alex Hales denies another allegation of racism reported by The Sun

There is no end of trouble for Alex Hales as after the allegations of racism by Azeem Rafiq, British Newspaper The Sun has published his image in blackface from New Year Eve in the year 2009. The right-hander has offered his explanation that he was unaware of the offensive nature of the message it was giving. He reiterated his stance against racism and discrimination. “In 2009, I attended a New Year’s Eve musical tribute fancy dress party,” Hales, 32, told The Sun. “I dressed in tribute to my musical hero, Tupac Shakur, someone who I’ve admired from childhood and, at the time, did not realise the offensive nature of this.”I echo my statement from earlier in the week and stress how much I deplore racism and discrimination in all its forms.” Hales was blamed for being racist at the core for naming his dog “Kevin” the same name Gary Ballance had given to people of colour in the Yorkshire dressing room. Hales denied those allegations as well and said that there was no discriminatory motive behind naming his dog, Kevin. The Sun report also claimed that the England and Wales Cricket Board has taken cognisance of Hales’ historic photo and they have initiated an investigation.

Mushfiqur Rahim clarifies his omission from Bangladesh squad for Pakistan T20Is

Bangladesh experienced batsman Mushfiqur Rahim has said that he has not been rested by the selectors for the T20I series against Pakistan starting today in Dhaka but instead, he has been dropped in a “collective decision” by the selection committee, team management, head coach and team director. He also said that he was asked for his availability in the series to which he was more than willing to play and bounce back after a disappointing T20 World Cup with the bat. He said that the time has not come for him yet to seek rest from international cricket. “To be honest I haven’t reached the stage when I have to tell someone that I need rest,” Mushfiqur told Bangladesh’s Channel 24 on Wednesday. “I am definitely available. Why won’t I be? I obviously had a disappointing World Cup. I needed an opportunity to bounce back. “I was asked if I was available, to which I said, of course, I am available. But I was told that the selection committee, team management, head coach and team director took a collective decision to drop me.” Mushfiqur’s omission has raked a massive controversy in Bangladesh set up as the T20 skipper Mahmudullah declined to comment on the issue and uncertainty over his exclusion from the squad. He said that the team management is the right authority to discuss the matter but was vocal about missing Mushfiqur’s presence in the side against Pakistan.

Paine resigns as Australia Test captain for historic explicit messages to female co-worker

In a massive development that can potentially lead Australian cricket into turmoil, Test captain Tim Paine has resigned from his post as the leader of the side with immediate effect. He has given up his role as captain for an explicit text message to his colleague in the year 2017 that was supposed to be made public in a few days time. Just days after their famous T20 World Cup Win and a few weeks ahead of an all-important Ashes series at home, Australian cricket has plunged into yet another crisis and it has taken their Test skipper Tim Paine with it. He has made himself available though for selection in the Ashes series and Cricket Australia has said that they will accelerate the process of finding out the next Test skipper. "Today, I'm announcing my decision to stand down as the captain of the Australian men's test team. It's an incredibly difficult decision, but the right one for me, my family, and cricket," Paine said as he read out a statement. "As a background on my decision, nearly four years ago, I was involved in a text exchange with a then-colleague. At the time, the exchange was the subject of a thorough CA Integrity Unit investigation, throughout which I fully participated in and openly participated in. "That investigation and a Cricket Tasmania HR investigation at the same time found that there had been no breach of the Cricket Australia Code of Conduct. Although exonerated, I deeply regretted this incident at the time, and still do today. I spoke to my wife and family at the time and am enormously grateful for their forgiveness and support. We thought this incident was behind us and that I could focus entirely on the team, as I have done for the last three or four years. "However, I recently became aware that this private text exchange was going to become public. On reflection, my actions in 2017 do not meet the standard of an Australian cricket captain, or the wider community. I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and pain that I have caused to my wife, my family, and to the other party. I'm sorry for any damage that this does to the reputation of our sport. "And I believe that it is the right decision for me to stand down as captain, effective immediately. I do not want this to become an unwelcome disruption to the team ahead of what is a huge Ashes series. "I have loved my role as captain of the Australian cricket team. It's been the greatest privilege of my sporting life to lead the Australian men's test team. I'm grateful for the support of my teammates and proud of what we've been able to achieve together. "To them, I ask for their understanding and forgiveness. To Australian cricket fans I'm deeply sorry that my past behaviour has impacted our game on the eve of the Ashes. For the disappointment I have caused to fans and the entire cricket community, I apologise. "I've been blessed with a wonderful, loving and supportive family, and it breaks my heart to know how much I've let them down. They have always stood by me, been my most loyal fans, and I'm indebted to them for their support. "I will remain a committed member of the Australian cricket team and look forward with anticipation to what is a huge Ashes tour."