'Welcome Surprise' - As Cricket Scotland admits racism in its constitution

Former Scotland off-spinner Majid Khan had welcomed the public admission of Cricket Scotland (CS) that there exists institutionalized racism in the country's cricket ecosystem.

Khan, who is the leading wicket-taker for Scotland across all formats, has been the whistle-blower as far as the existence of racism in Scottish cricket is concerned.

The off-spinner first landed in controversy during the 2015 World Cup after he tweeted-- "Always tougher when you're in the minority #colour #race". 

He was immediately sent home and never played for Scotland again.

With allegations of racism spreading across English cricket last year, Majid accused Cricket Scotland (CS) of treating him like a "criminal" and that the organization was 'institutionally racist"

Following his revelations, several other cricketers came in the open, forcing Cricket Scotland to order an independent review to be conducted by Sports Scotland.

Recently, Cricket Scotland released a detailed statement that read, "We accept there is an issue with racism in the game in Scotland and we are truly sorry that people involved have suffered racism. We want to listen, understand and learn how to make things better. The best way to have your voice heard is to contribute to the independent Plan4Sport review."

Majid is content with the change in tone of the message, admitting to 'The Cricketer' that the statement has come as a 'welcome surprise' to him but still believes that words need to be backed by actions.

"The statement was a welcome surprise to me. They are just words at the moment and, ultimately, it's actions that we'll need to see. 

"But this acceptance that there is an issue and the apology that accompanies it… they represent a massive step forward." he added.

Sue Strachan, the President of Cricket Scotland, said, "We are on an uncomfortable journey of discovery," she told The Cricketer. "In the early days, the organisation probably felt a little as if it was under attack and some of our communications reflected that.

"But we've got past that. Now we are focused on listening in a humble way and we are committed to learning to be better. We're learning more about subtle racism. It exists in society so you would probably expect it to exist in all sports, too," he added.

"It's an uncomfortable phase we are in right now. It's a bumpy ride and yes, the findings in the report might be quite shocking. It's possible we will lose some of the volunteers we have relied upon,"

"But the hope has to be that, at the end of this, we have a sport which welcomes volunteers and participants from more diverse areas of society. The aim is very much to build back better," he added.

"I really would urge anyone who has had any experiences in this area to contact the review by emailing cricketreview@sportscotland.org.uk." he signed off.

Majid, 39, represented Scotland in 54 ODIs and 21 Twenty20 Internationals, claiming 60 and 28 wickets respectively.