LONDON: Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan has been cleared “on the balance of probabilities” of using racist language before a Yorkshire match in 2009.
The 2005 Ashes-winning captain was alleged to have used the term “you lot” when referring to a group of four Yorkshire team-mates of South Asian ethnicity, including Pakistan-born Azeem Rafiq.
In a report released on Friday, the Cricket Discipline Commission said it was “not satisfied on the balance of probabilities” that Vaughan had used the alleged words.
It pointed out “significant inconsistencies” in how the two key witnesses — Rafiq and England bowler Adil Rashid — had recalled the wording that Vaughan allegedly used.
But it added that its findings “do not in any way undermine the wider assertions” made by Rafiq, who told lawmakers in November 2021 that English cricket was “institutionally racist.”
In its concluding remarks the CDC report said: “This is not a case which necessitated a conclusion from the panel that anyone has lied or acted out of malice.
“Far from it. The panel had to consider whether the case as presented to it by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board), in light of all the evidence, was sufficiently accurate and reliable, on the balance of probabilities, to rule out mistake. It was not.”
Vaughan, who appeared in person at a CDC hearing earlier this month to answer the charges brought by the ECB, said the process had taken a “toll” on him and his family and it had been “upsetting to hear about Rafiq’s experiences.
“The outcome of these CDC proceedings must not be allowed to detract from the core message that there can be no place for racism in the game of cricket, or in society generally,” the 48-year-old said in a statement on social media.
The former batsman, who has worked as a TV and radio pundit since his retirement added: “I have never wanted to do anything that runs contrary to genuine efforts to clean up the game of cricket.
“I truly hope people can understand why, on a personal level, I could not just accept, or apologize for, something which I know I did not do.”
Yorkshire accepted in September 2021 that Rafiq, now 32, had been the victim of racial harassment and bullying during his time at the club.
But they subsequently confirmed nobody would be disciplined, a decision that was greeted with widespread incredulity.
The scandal sparked an exodus of senior boardroom figures and 16 members of the club’s coaching and backroom staff were dismissed.
Former off-spinner Rafiq, who had two spells at Yorkshire, told a British parliamentary committee in December 2022 that the abuse he and his family had faced had forced him to leave the country.
The CDC panel upheld charges against five other former players and coaches, including England Test stars Tim Bresnan and Matthew Hoggard, in relation to the use of racist and/or discriminatory language.
None of the five attended the CDC hearing in London, with Hoggard saying the ECB’s disciplinary procedures had “failed everybody.”
Former Yorkshire and England player Gary Ballance, who now plays for his native Zimbabwe, admitted using racist and/or discriminatory language prior to the hearing.
Yorkshire admitted four amended charges against them, with the panel to disclose any sanctions against the club and the individuals at a later date.
In a statement on Twitter, Rafiq pointed out that charges against seven of the eight defendants had been upheld.
“This comes in addition to the other reports, panels and inquiries that found I and others suffered racial harassment and bullying while at Yorkshire,” he said.
“The issue has never been about individuals but the game as a whole. Cricket needs to understand the extent of its problems and address them.
“Hopefully, the structures of the game can now be rebuilt and institutionalized racism ended for good.”
ECB chairman Richard Thompson said cricket must learn from an “incredibly challenging period” to make the sport more inclusive.
“When Azeem Rafiq spoke out about his time in cricket, he exposed a side of our game which no one should have to experience,” he said. “We are grateful for his courage and perseverance.”
Racism claims against ex-England captain Vaughan ‘not proved’
https://arab.news/m9f56
Racism claims against ex-England captain Vaughan ‘not proved’
- The Cricket Discipline Commission said it was "not satisfied on the balance of probabilities" that Vaughan had used the alleged words
- In its concluding remarks the CDC report said: "This is not a case which necessitated a conclusion from the panel that anyone has lied or acted out of malice
Brilliant Madhwal takes 5-5 as Mumbai knock Lucknow out of IPL
- Mumbai booked a meeting with holders and regular season table-toppers Gujarat Titans in the next playoff encounter on Friday in Ahmedabad
- The winners on Friday will meet Chennai Super Kings in the final on Sunday
CHENNAI, India: Akash Madhwal took five wickets for as many runs to lead Mumbai Indians to a crushing 81-run win in the second IPL playoff game and knock Lucknow Super Giants out of the tournament on Wednesday.
Australia’s Cameron Green (41) and Suryakumar Yadav (33) put on 66 to help guide five-time champions Mumbai to 182-8 after they elected to bat first in the knockout contest in Chennai.
Madhwal then returned figures of 5-5 in 3.3 overs to dismiss Lucknow for 101 as Mumbai booked a meeting with holders and regular season table-toppers Gujarat Titans in the next playoff encounter on Friday in Ahmedabad.
The winners of that clash will meet Chennai Super Kings in the final on Sunday.
“It’s nice that it’s going well at the moment,” Green said.
“Our batting’s been really good. Madhwal has been the game changer for us; five today, and got four-for the other day.”
Green, who was the second-most expensive player bought in the auction at $2.11 million, added: “Gujarat are the best team. It’s going to be a tough challenge, especially on their home turf.”
Lucknow’s innings imploded as they collapsed from 69-2 to be bowled out in 16.3 overs, losing three key wickets to run outs.
Green, who hit his maiden T20 century in Mumbai’s previous win, looked in control during a 23-ball knock laced with six fours and one six until his departure.
Naveen-ul-Haq, who took four wickets for Lucknow, sent back Suryakumar and Green, bowled by a slower off-cutter from the Afghanistan pace bowler, in the space of three deliveries to push Mumbai onto the back foot.
Tilak Varma hit back with a quickfire 26 and a 43-run stand with Tim David, who was out caught for 13 after unsuccessfully reviewing a full toss for being over waist-height.
Naveen finished with 4-38 and Yash Thakur took three wickets but despite their efforts Mumbai’s impact sub Nehal Wadhera boosted the total with his 12-ball 23.
Lucknow lost their openers early including impact player Kyle Mayers for 18 before Australia’s Marcus Stoinis attempted to pull the chase together in his 27-ball 40.
But Madhwal struck with successive balls, including getting the dangerous Nicholas Pooran caught behind for a golden duck.
An engineer by profession, Madhwal learned the game while playing tennis-ball cricket in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand but is filling in for Mumbai’s injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
“Bumrah bhai (brother) has his own place, and I’m just trying to play the role assigned to me,” said the 29-year-old Madhwal.
Stoinis, who crossed 400 runs this season to be his team’s standout performer, was run out after a mid-pitch collision with non-striker Deepak Hooda with both batsmen watching the ball.
The innings fell further apart with two more run outs sending back Krishnappa Gowtham and Hooda.
Lucknow, who made their IPL debut last season with Gujarat Titans as the league grew to 10 teams, fell at the same hurdle in the previous edition.
The neutral venue for both teams had many empty seats, in contrast to the nearly full stadium on Tuesday when home hero M.S. Dhoni’s Chennai made the final with a win over Gujarat.
Chennai beats Gujarat to reach Indian Premier League final
- Opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scored in the match with 60 off 44 balls
- It was a remarkable turnaround for four-time champions Chennai this season after finishing ninth last year
CHENNAI, India: Chennai Super Kings powered their way to a record-breaking 10th Indian Premier League final with a 15-run win over defending champion Gujarat Titans in the playoffs on Tuesday.
Gujarat will have another chance to meet Chennai in the final when they take on the winner of Wednesday’s playoff between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants.
Opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scored in the match with 60 off 44 balls before cameos from the Chennai middle-order batters guided the home team to 172-7.
Chennai didn’t deviate from their perfect bowling script of squeezing the teams through spinners in the middle overs as Gujarat got bowled out for 157 off the final ball.
It was a remarkable turnaround for four-time champions Chennai this season after finishing ninth last year.
“I think IPL is too big to say it is just another final,” Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. “Ten teams makes it all the more tougher. Everyone has contributed. Yes, middle order hasn’t got ample opportunity but they have chipped in.”
Gujarat, one of the best chasers in the IPL, couldn’t get momentum in the run-chase when fast bowler Deepak Chahar (2-29) continued to excel in the powerplay and had Wriddhiman Saha caught in the deep in the third over.
Even Shubman Gill, who came into the playoff with two successive centuries, struggled to get going against hard lengths of Chennai bowlers to score 42 off 38 balls before Chahar also had him caught in the deep off a brilliant short ball in his return spell.
Spinners Ravindra Jadeja (2-18) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-28) then squeezed the runs in the middle overs as they found plenty of help off the wicket before Rashid Khan hit a rapid 30 off 16 balls to narrow down the defeat.
Chennai’s find of the tournament fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana (2-37) was a bit wayward bowling seven wide balls before the Sri Lankan pacer wrapped up the innings by claiming the last wicket of Mohammed Shami off the final ball.
Earlier, after being put into bat, Gaikwad dominated an 87-run opening wicket stand with Devon Conway, who struggled to score 40 off 34 balls.
Darshan Nalkande became only the fifth player in the history of IPL to play his first game of the season in the playoff and also had Gaikwad caught at mid-wicket off a no-ball in his first over.
Gaikwad hit seven fours and a six before he holed out at long-on in the 11th over off Mohit Sharma (2-31) and Conway tried to accelerate in the death overs but also picked up Rashid Khan at deep mid-wicket off Shami (2-28).
However, Jadeja made 22 off 16 balls while Ambati Rayudu and Ajiknya Rahane both scored quick 17s to propel Chennai’s total. Shami conceded 15 runs off the final over after allowing only 13 off his first three overs.
“We were quite spot on but we made some basic errors,” said Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya, who made eight before getting caught at point inside the powerplay. “We must’ve conceded 16 runs or so due to our soft balls, (but) we have one more chance of going to the final. Two days later we will give it a crack again.”
Skipper Babar Azam takes Pakistan to top one-day international ranking in win over New Zealand
- The young Pakistani squad defeated New Zealand by 102 runs after scoring 334 for 6 in 50 overs
- Azam also became the fastest batter to reach 5,000 ODI runs and broke Hashim Alma’s record
KARACHI: Babar Azam scored a superb century Friday to help lift Pakistan to the top of the one-day international rankings after a thumping 102-run victory in the fourth match against New Zealand in Karachi.
Azam stroked a 117-ball 107 and also became the fastest batter to reach 5,000 ODI runs, as his team made 334-6 in their 50 overs.
His 18th ODI hundred took him past the mark in his 97th innings in the format, beating former South Africa batter Hashim Amla’s previous record of 101 innings.
New Zealand were bowled out for 232 in 43.4 overs with skipper Tom Latham (60), Mark Chapman (46) and Daryl Mitchell (34) offering some resistance.
Leg-spinner Usama Mir led Pakistan’s bowling charge with a career-best 4-43 while pacers Mohammad Wasim (3-40) and Haris Rauf (2-37) also impressed.
The win gave Pakistan a 4-0 lead in the five-match series and took them to number one for the first time since the International Cricket Council officially recognized the rankings in 2005.
Pakistan’s previous highest ODI ranking was third which they attained in January 2018 and again in June 2022.
“I will say that the credit goes to the entire team and support staff for becoming the number-one ranked ODI team,” said Azam.
“We built the momentum and worked towards this goal.
“I think my journey has been good. I joined the camp on this very day nine years ago, and there have been ups and downs, but the support has been amazing.”
Azam starred with his 30th ton in all international cricket after New Zealand won the toss and put the hosts in to bat at National Stadium.
The 28-year-old beat Amla’s record when he reached 19.
He added 50 for the second wicket with Shan Masood (44), 127 for the fourth wicket with Agha Salman (58) and another 41 for the sixth with Iftikhar Ahmed who scored 28.
Azam, who has been the number one ODI batter for the last two years, hit 10 boundaries before he was caught at deep mid-wicket off debutant Ben Lister in the 48th over.
Azam is the 14th Pakistani to score 5,000 or more runs in ODI cricket, with former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq top of the list with 11,701.
He is also the fastest to 18 ODI hundreds, beating Amla’s record of 102 innings.
“When we started our innings, the wicket played well. I and Shan planned to build the innings. We felt it was 300-plus wicket and then we bowled well,” added Azam.
Salman chipped in with two sixes and four fours in his 46-ball knock before being caught and bowled by pacer Matt Henry who finished with 3-65.
Shaheen Shah Afridi hit three sixes and a four in his seven-ball 23 not out as Pakistan plundered 94 runs in the last 10 overs.
“Credit to the way they played, Babar played fantastically,” said New Zealand’s Latham.
New Zealand wins toss, will field in ODI against Pakistan
- Pakistan is eyeing a 5-0 sweep after beating under-strength New Zealand in the first three games
- NZ is touring Pakistan without eight regular white-ball cricketers who are playing Indian Premier League
KARACHI: New Zealand captain Tom Latham won the toss and elected to field in the fourth one-day international against Pakistan on Friday.
Pakistan is eyeing a 5-0 sweep after beating under-strength New Zealand in the first three games.
New Zealand, which is touring Pakistan without eight regular white-ball cricketers who are playing in the Indian Premier League, awarded an ODI debut to fast bowler Ben Lister in one of the three changes made from the last game.
Lister replaced Adam Milne as all-rounder James Neesham and fast bowler Blair Tickner also returned to the side after being rested from the last game, replacing Henry Nicholls and Henry Shipley, respectively.
Pakistan was forced to make five changes, mainly because of injury niggles to Imam-ul-Haq, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz. Naseem Shah and Abdullah Shafique were rested. Opening batter Shan Masood, all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris, fast bowler Haris Rauf and and leg-spinner Usama Mir were drafted into the lineup.
Pakistan beats New Zealand in 3rd ODI, clinches series
- Opening batter Imam-ul-Haq made 90 off 107 balls and captain Babar Azam scored 54
- Cole McConchie’s (64 not out) late counter-attack saw the 31-year-old smash New Zealand’s fastest half-century on ODI debut off 36 balls
KARACHI, Pakistan: Pakistan top-order batters continued to prosper as they beat under-strength New Zealand by 26 runs in the third one-day international on Wednesday for an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Opening batter Imam-ul-Haq made 90 off 107 balls and captain Babar Azam scored 54 as the home team raised a total of 287-6 after losing the toss and being asked to bat first.
Cole McConchie’s (64 not out) late counter-attack saw the 31-year-old smash New Zealand’s fastest half-century on ODI debut off 36 balls before the Kiwis were bowled out for 261 in the final over.
New Zealand made a solid start in a bid to keep the series alive when Tom Blundell (65), playing his first game of the series, and Will Young (33) put on 83 runs for the opening-wicket stand. But Young’s run-out in the 16th over saw the middle-order stifled by Pakistan spinners Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz before Blundell too got run out while going for a second run with captain Tom Latham.
Daryl Mitchell, who scored centuries in the first two games, had two lucky escapes before he holed out in the deep after scoring 21 and Mark Chapman, who was the star for New Zealand in the preceding 2-2 drawn T20 series against Pakistan, was clean bowled by Naseem Shah for 13.
Left-arm spinner Nawaz, who dried up runs in the middle overs, injured his left index finger when he tried to hold onto a return catch of Mitchell and was brought to the hospital.
Part-time off-spinner Agha Salman made up for Nawaz’s absence, taking 1-42 off his nine overs as spinners got plenty of assistance off the wicket at the National Stadium.
Fast bowler Mohammad Wasim (2-50), one of the three changes Pakistan made from the last game, had Latham clean bowled as the Black Caps skipper attempted a ramp shot while exposing his stumps.
McConchie struggled against the spinners before taking charge in the final 10 overs against the pace as he smashed two sixes and six boundaries and brought up his half-century with a big six over mid-wicket against Shaheen Shah Afridi (2-53).
Earlier, Imam and Babar combined in a 108-run second wicket stand after Fakhar Zaman fell to Matt Henry (3-54). Fakhar’s two back-to-back centuries had earned Pakistan convincing wins at Rawalpindi before he played across the line and skied a catch to wicketkeeper Blundell.
Henry also broke the century-stand when Babar, who hit his eighth score of 50-plus in the last 11 ODIs, played the fast bowler back onto his stumps while going for an off drive. Imam showed plenty of patience but also fell in similar fashion when Adam Milne (2-56) struck in his return spell and Pakistan lost momentum in the death overs.
Mohammad Rizwan made 32 off 34 balls before he got caught by McConchie off Milne’s full toss before Shadab Khan’s hit a little cameo of 21 off 10 balls and provided a perfect finish by hitting Henry for a six off the final ball.
Karachi will host the remaining ODIs on Friday and Sunday as New Zealand wraps up its white-ball tour.
