ECB charges Yorkshire and seven players in Racism scandal

On June 15 (Wednesday), England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) charged seven people after a thorough investigation of racism in Yorkshire Cricket Club.

Although ECB has not disclosed the names, The Cricketer has put out the seven names in the form of Michael Vaughan, Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Gary Ballance, Andrew Gale, Richard Pyrah, and John Blain. 

Andrew Gale served as the former Yorkshire captain, and Blain - a former Scotland international player. 

All the players have reportedly used racist and discriminatory language.

Vaughan and Bresnan have publicly denied using derogatory language, while Ballance used the word 'P*ki' but persisted with claiming it was just a 'banter'.

In November 2021, Azeem Rafiq had levelled allegations of racism, bullying, and 'inhuman' treatment at Yorkshire Cricket Club. 

Although the Club accepted that Rafiq was subjected to racial harassment, it received criticism for not taking any action against its employees. 

Soon, the ECB suspended Yorkshire from staging international games at Headingley Stadium in Leeds. 

It is expected that the ECB's Cricket Disciplinary Committee (CDC) will hear the cases in September. However, the delay can also be expected and can take place next year. The cross-examination of witnesses will last five to 10 days. 

The Yorkshire County Cricket Club has also been charged to encourage discriminatory behaviour and failing to resolve the complaints. 

The Englishman Ballance has been deemed unavailable for the whole domestic season of the Yorkshire County and England national team can only feature if he is free of all charges. 

It is expected to be one of the challenging tasks for the ECB's legal team and Integrity unit. 

ECB is concerned about the mental health of the accused and witnesses in the racism scandal. The people charged have not been found guilty yet, and social media has already made them a villain in the story.