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I Lost My Cricket Career To Racism Azeem Rafiq Gets Emotional At Parliamentary Hearing

I lost my cricket career to racism: Azeem Rafiq gets emotional at Parliamentary hearing

Former Yorkshire captain Azeem Rafiq said that he lost his cricketing career due to racism. Speaking at a hearing by a United Kingdom’s Parliament Select Committee set up by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to investigate institutional racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Rafiq said that racism took his career away from him.

"Yes, I do,” said the 30-year-old when asked if racism was the reason he thinks behind his cricket career ending so soon. “A horrible feeling. Maybe what was written for me was this. I am a massive believer in everything happening for a reason,” the former all-rounder added.

Rafeeq was also hopeful that from him coming out and exposing the institutional racism that has been taking place at Yorkshire and might be happening at other County cricket clubs for years, something will change for good.

"Hopefully we will see a massive change in five years' time and hopefully I did something bigger than getting runs or wickets,” he said.

Rafiq was also asked about how his wife has coped through all this. Answering this, the former England U-19 captain got emotional and said, "She has struggled and still continues.”

“Over the last 15 months, we have two young kids - one is just over two, one is about to turn one - and they have not had a dad, really, because all I have been worried about is Yorkshire going out to discredit me and how I am going to deal with it. It has been challenging, but I hope today provides some sort of closure and I can treat her for what she deserves,” he added.

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Azeem Rafiq recalls apology from Matthew Hoggard; says he only needs 'acceptance and apology'

Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq has said that he has only asked for “acceptance and apology” from players who have been involved in acts of racism and inhuman treatment towards him. In the hearing in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, one member, MPJulie Elliott asked Azeem if he has received an apology from players privately and he took the name of former England pacer Matthew Hoggard, who offered his apology and his lack of realisation at the time of occurrence of the incidence. Azeem said that he appreciated Hoggard coming forward to him and accepting that he committed wrong. He also recalled another conversation with one “friend” who said that he would not have done any activity of that sort if he was made aware of what he went through. “Matthew Hoggard phoned me after my Sky interview,” said Rafiq. “He said he didn’t realise and was really sorry. I really appreciated it.” "I bumped into a friend a few months after and he said 'We didn't realise we had that affect on you, if you said we would have stopped'. "That is all I wanted, an acceptance and apology. Azeem also responded to Michael Vaughan’s claims that he never made anti-Asian remarks while playing for Yorkshire and said that he would not be recalling the events as it “doesn’t mean anything to him”. However, he maintained that it was not just about Vaughan, but the overall process and atmosphere in the Yorkshire dressing room. “I don’t want to make it all about Michael,” Azeem said. “Michael might not remember it because it doesn’t mean anything to him.”

Video: Azeem Rafiq terms England’s PCA as ‘protectors of the perpetrators’ in Yorkshire racism row

Azeem Rafiq who has been waging the war against racism at the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, one of the most famous cricket clubs in England and throughout the world, has now termed the role of England’s Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA)’s role as that of protecting the perpetrators. In his statement at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee hearing, which has been set up to enquire about the institutional racism at Yorkshire, Rafiq said, “I found the PCA stance incredibly inept. It was oh, we've got members on both sides.” "So, you're protecting the perpetrators and you have no interest in where this is taking me?” Rafiq added regarding PCA’s stance in his case. The former Yorkshire captain went as far as saying that PCA even reported him missing to the police just in case he comments suicide because he had told them that after all that happened at the club, he was feeling suicidal. “There have been dark moments over the winter. At one point, the PCA called the police and reported me missing. I was sat with my family. I felt that was done to tick a box in case I killed myself,” said Rafiq. “On a human point, if someone else had have told me they were suicidal and ringing to ask for help, I would forget the constitution and help the human,” said the 31-year-old who had rung into PCA several times and to ECB a few times as well to speak about his situation. Talking about the handling of the issue and why he is labelling PCA as a protector of the perpetrator, Rafiq said, "The PCA kept telling me when the report comes out, they would support me. Once it did, they said we have no powers, we can just push the ECB” "Again, an organisation that really should have been there for me and supported me left me on my own to fight on my own,” he added.

Azeem Rafiq makes explosive claims of racism against player of colour by Alex Hales, Gary Ballance

Azeem Rafiq has revealed some remarkably harrowing incidents of racism in the Yorkshire dressing room and players while giving his presenting his case to prove “institutional racism” at the Yorkshire County Cricket Club to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee of the United Kingdom government. He has said that Gary Ballance used to call people of colour by the name “Kevin” and Alex Hales went on to give his dog, who was black in colour, the same name. "Kevin was something Gary [Ballance] used for people of colour in a derogatory manner. All the time. Gary and Alex Hales got very close to each other playing for England but I understand Alex went on to name his dog Kevin because it was black. It is disgusting how much of a joke it became." He also reiterated the episode of racism hurled out at India’s batsman Cheteshwar Pujara by calling him by the name “Steve”. He asserted that all players at Yorkshire started calling him by that name although Pujara was not comfortable with it and it ratifies his call of the Yorkshire’s “institutional failings”. "Everyone called him that, high-profile players around the world, and it shows the institutional failings," says Rafiq. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee is hearing Rafiq’s statement which will be followed by former Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton and the ECB CEO Tom Harrison, ECB board member Alan Dickinson, director of communications Kate Miller and director of legal and integrity Meena Botros.

Watch: Team India practices for the first time under new leadership of Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma

Team India undertook its first practice session for the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting with the first match at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The practice session was also the first involving the new head coach of Team India, Rahul Dravid and new T20I captain Rohit Sharma. Both Rohit and Dravid took charge of their new positions after the horrific T20 World Cup campaign of Team India, where it lost to both New Zealand and Pakistan and had its chances of qualifying for the semis over after its first two games itself. While Dravid overtook Ravi Shastri as the head coach whose contract expired at the end of the World Cup, Virat Kohli’s decision to step down as India T20I captain irrespective of the result, post the World Cup meant that Rohit, who was his deputy overtook the charge of the captain in the shortest format. KL Rahul has been appointed as Rohit’s deputy.