Yorkshire takes no action on Azeem Rafiq racial abuse issue, devastated cricketer wants ECB to step up

The Yorkshire County Cricket Club, in a shocking statement, said that no current employee or player could be held responsible for seven counts of racial abuse met to its former captain Azeem Rafiq.

This statement comes after the club apologised to Rafiq in August this year, confirming that the player was indeed subjected to inappropriate behaviour. But not holding anyone responsible for the crime is one thing that most of the people and the player himself are unable to digest.

In its official statement, the Yorkshire administration mentioned that it has sent the full copy of the report to England and Wales Cricket Board to support in board’s independent enquiry into the matter.

It further said that after the independent committee, which comprised of seven members and investigated the matter for a year after Rafiq raised the issue in early 2020, the club also carried out its own investigation.

“The Club has also carried out their own internal investigation following the findings in the Report after which they are able to report that they have come to the conclusion that there is no conduct or action taken by any of its employees, players or Executives that warrants disciplinary action,” it said.

“None of this diminishes the importance of the findings or that fact that there is much the Club can learn from the Report. It was important for Azeem to raise the issues and without him doing so we would not have the Panel’s recommendations which are an important part of the Clubs continuing journey,” the statement further added.

Naturally, Rafiq was shaken by the out of the blue announcement by the club to not hold anyone responsible for a crime that they admitted was committed. In a series of Tweets, the former county cricketer and England U-19 captain let his anger out.

"Wow, just when you think this club couldn't get more embarrassing, you find a way," Rafiq tweeted.

"Still awaiting the FULL report. Thanks for mentioning the people that have provided your PROTECTION & give green light to RACISM. Interesting timing again,” he said n another tweet, trying to implicate the fact that half the enquiry committee members were Asian and still they couldn’t find anybody guilty of the racism that they themselves admitted happened.

Rafeeq’s spokesman said that it was time that Yorkshire board members did at least something good and resigned voluntarily for the crimes they have committed.

"It is inconceivable that there are no current employees who should not have been disciplined for their conduct. Yorkshire's failures continue to mount up and it is time that board members - for once - do the decent thing and resign,” said the spokesperson.

The ECB acknowledged that they have received the full report from Yorkshire and are going to investigate the matter thoroughly.

"This is a matter with many serious allegations at its heart and the ECB’s regulatory team will now consider the Report as part of its investigation.

We anticipate that it will take time for the regulatory process to reach its conclusion, but it is imperative that this is completed thoroughly and with fairness to all involved,” the board said.

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When you ride the highs, you've got to ride the lows: David Warner after regaining form in T20 World Cup

Australia opener David Warner finally got back to some form after hitting 65 off 42 balls against Sri Lanka in a Super 12 clash in the ongoing T20 World Cup in UAE. It was the southpaw’s first-ever score of 50 since coming to UAE at the start of the second leg of the Indian Premier League in September. Asked whether it was a good enough knock to shut the critics who have been making a point to dissect every Warner innings as low and slow and lacking confidence even during the warm-up games, the New South Wales man said that he doesn’t believe in shutting critics. "Shutting the critics down? No, never. That's the world of sport. When you ride the highs, you've got to ride the lows and you've got to stay confident, keep a smile on your face, and never let it get to you,” said Warner in the post-match press conference after Australia’s seven-wicket win over the Lankans while chasing down 155. Tackling Maheesh Theekshana, the mystery spinner who has a good combination of carrom ball and traditional off-spin was not going to be easy for a left-hander. But Warner said that he had a plan and was glad that it came off. "When they're [off spinners] coming over the wicket, they've obviously got their carrom ball to come straight down the line. For me, it's actually a low-risk shot to go with the spin and because you've only got two [fielders] out to protect, you've got to back yourself. It's a shot that I favour. You've got to apply pressure and that's how I start my innings against spin," he said. "I got criticised when I got out to Ashwin in the practice game playing the same shot. We know which bowlers are bowling what, we know where the fields are and we know how to try and apply pressure. If it comes off, it comes off,” the 35-year-old added. Warner getting back to form is crucial in the sense that Australia now play arch-rivals England in the Super 12 clash on Saturday in Dubai and looking at the kind of form the English are in, it would be nothing short of sensational.

Playing T20 World Cup final against India will be good for relations between neighbours: Saqlain Mushtaq

Pakistan interim coach Saqlain Mushtaq feels that if India and Pakistan play in the T20 World Cup 2021 final, it would be a huge occasion, not only for both the teams, but for the International Cricket Council, cricket fans across the world and especially for relations between the two neighbours. "If India makes it to the final with us, it would be a great thing because I feel -- and this is not because we became big-headed after beating them -- but because they are a strong team, everyone considers them a favourite,” Mushtaq said in a pre-match press conference in Dubai ahead of his side’s clash against Afghanistan. “If India comes in the final, then it would be very good for the ICC, fans around the world and for world cricket -- everyone will enjoy it. They are our neighbouring country and playing one more match would only improve our relations,” added the former off-spinner, who is also credited to have invented Doosra. Talking about his team’s preparedness against the Mohammad Nabi led side who beat Scotland comprehensively in their opening game, Mushtaq said that they are not taking the Afghans lightly whatsoever. "It's a strong unit. We can't really say that it's very easy and you will roll over them. It's not like that. They have a wonderful bowling attack, especially the spinners. When they bat, they just play, the way they feel it, what's in their heart, what they think. They just go and execute the plan. They just play a sort of fearless cricket and I think that kind of team can be dangerous,” said the 44-year-old who was given the job to handle the team after Misbah-Ul-Haq resigned from the position of head coach of the Pakistan unit just ahead of the World Cup in September.

T20 World Cup | Nicholas Pooran confident of Windies batting against Bangladesh

West Indies' vice-captain Nicholas Pooran admitted that the Caribbean batters didn’t come to the pastry in the first two games of their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign, but was equally vocal in assuring that come the game against Bangladesh and the batters would be ready to put their best foot forward. "I think we're really hurt at losing those two games and we have only ourselves to blame. But the mood is still good. We know what we have to do and everyone is up for the challenge,” Pooran said in the pre-match press conference in Sharjah. "We just didn't rise to the occasion, to be honest. I think as batsmen and as a team, we've already accepted that we didn't come to the party and we're looking forward to moving forward and hopefully we can do much better,” added the 26-year-old. Asked if changes are expected in the next game given that Lendl Simmons didn’t really add much to the team’s progress in the last two games and Jason Holder, who can bat very well has been brought in as a replacement for injured Obed McCoy, Pooran said that whoever plays the next game will give his 100%. “We back our batsmen 100%. Doesn't matter if it's a right-hand or left-hand batsman. We back them to do the job for us - whoever is playing in that XI tomorrow, they'll have specific roles,” he said. Bangladesh have lost two in two as well in the Super 12 stage and are in the same boat as the Windies and thus Pooran felt that they too would be feeling the heat. "I think Bangladesh after losing two games - they are in the same situation as us as well. So, I think it's going to be a good challenge for us tomorrow. We need to get that victory and play in Sharjah. We know Bangladesh have a lot of spinners as well. It's definitely going to be a challenge for us as well and it's how bad we actually want it,” he said. This game is virtually a do or die for both the teams as a loss in it would end their campaign once and for all.

T20 World Cup | All conquering Pakistan looking to make '3 in 3' vs tricky customers Afghanistan

A confident Afghanistan would be up against the strong and unfazed Pakistan side in the Dubai International Stadium on Friday 29 October. This would be Pakistan's third match of the Super 12 stage which could essentially seal them a position in the semi finals of the T20 World Cup. The Babar Azam-led side have bulldozed over the strongest opposition of the group and in all likelihood, they would do the same against minnows Namibia and Scotland. And hence this is the last match of the group stage where they face a team that is well regarded in the T2o format of the game. A strong challenge of spin Not a lot of teams have the variety and the talent that is offered by the Afghan bowling unit. It houses this generation’s most influential spin bowler in Rashid Khan, someone who has been active for about 5-6 years now and still shows no signs of slowing down. There is no doubt that Rashid Khan has the ceiling to retire as the highest wicket-taker in the history of T20 Internationals but it is astonishing how quickly he has come into the contention. Currently, he is the fourth in the list of wicket-takers in T20Is with 99 wickets to his name, and in all likelihood will pass Tim Southee (100) in the next game. The chart is led by Shakib Al Hasan with 117 wickets in 93 matches followed by the legendary Lasith Malinga with 107 wickets from 84 games. And here is where it gets interesting, Rashid Khan, is being compared to bowlers of that stature having achieved his feat in just 52 games. If you were to see off Rashid in the conditions of the UAE, you are faced with the challenge of the mystery spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman. He outdid Rashid in the last game by picking up 5 wickets for just 20 runs. While certainly not as prolific as his SRH compatriot, Mujeeb’s variations can be tricky to face in these kinds of pitches. Afghanistan’s ability to hit sixes When West Indies won their T20 World Cups, it was based around the system of maximising big shots. The idea was that it is okay for you to concede dot balls if you could compensate for that with your big-hitting prowess. While their glory days are far beyond them, Afghanistan seem to have adopted that school of thought. In their previous match against Scotland, Afghanistan conceded 43 dot balls, which is just over 7 overs worth of dot balls in T20 cricket, and they still managed to score 190 runs. Now superimpose this with the two innings that have gone over 170 runs in the Super 12 stage and you would find the magic revealed. In the match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the two teams scored 172 and 171 runs respectively with SL winning the game with 7 balls remaining. Both teams conceded a total of 33 dot balls, much lower than Afghanistan. Not only did Afghanistan not score more runs than both the teams mentioned above, but they also scored more runs by not keeping the scoreboard busy. And here’s where we arrive at our point - Afghanistan batters love to hit their big shots. They hit 11 sixes against Scotland - the highest in a single game in this tournament and they hit 11 boundaries. Barring one batsman (Rahmanullah Gurbaz) every single player had a strike rate north of 145. So beware Pakistan, the fight is coming to you and it is coming to you hard. Pakistan’s artillery Afghanistan might be trying to hit it big, but it will be difficult to do against the quicks from Pakistan. Their slowest of the three pacers Hasan Ali bowls at a nippy pace of 140ks, and their other two are quite literally amongst the fastest bowlers in the world. It will not be easy for Afghanistan to hit these bowlers out of the park, especially in the ground like Dubai. It is a different case when you mishit in Sharjah - the ball might still land into the stands, but that is not going to happen in the big outfield of Dubai. And that is where Afghanistan batters will face their main challenge. Pakistan have played both of their matches on this ground and probably understand the conditions better. It will be a different challenge for the Afghan batters in this behemoth of a ground. Match Details Afghanistan vs Pakistan Match No. 24, Super 12, Group 2 Date & Time - 29 October, 7:30 PM IST (6 PM Local) Venue - Dubai International Stadium, Dubai Broadcast - Star Sports Network, Hotstar Pitch Report The two matches that Pakistan have played in Dubai have offered contrasting openings to the match. In their first one against India, they ball nipped back into the right-handers and put the Indian top order in a lot of trouble. It’s entirely possible that given that this is a night game, and the skill that the pace bowlers have, it will nip a little in the first two overs, but from there it will be a flat batting track. The last two night matches in this venue have suggested that the ball is reverse swinging at the back end of the game. Against New Zealand, Shaheen Shah Afridi did it, and last night it was Mitchell Starc who seemed to have extracted quite a lot of nip as the ball got older. So, if you win the toss, choose to bowl first. Team news Afghanistan Afghanistan have no injuries and are expected to keep the same XI. They are coming off a strong win against Scotland and will look to make it two in two against Pakistan. Playing XI Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Jannat, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman Pakistan Two players suffered blows in the last game for Pakistan. One was Imad Wasim, who hurt his right knee while batting and the second was Asif Ali who was dazed by a bouncer from Tim Southee and had to take the concussion test twice in the same game. There has been no confirmation about either of them from the Pakistan camp and there is no indication that there will be changes made in the first XI. However, one can expect that if Asif Ali does not make it to the XI, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed might walk into the team. Playing XI Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali/Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi CE Fantasy XI Mohammad Rizwan (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Shadab Khan, Rashid Khan, Hasan Ali, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c)