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Azeem Rafiq admits ‘relief’ after speaking out on horrendous racism at Yorkshire, says ‘never say never’ over return to cricket, and hopes to inspire change in sport
Azeem Rafiq admitted he felt relieved to finally speak about the racism and horrendous treatment he received at Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
Rafiq joined talkSPORT on Wednesday following his emotional and explosive revelations before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sports committee.
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He told his harrowing story of the racist abuse he suffered constantly throughout his two spells at Yorkshire.
The damning revelations made headline news around the world and shone an uncomfortable light on institutions and individuals.
He told talkSPORT: “Leaving there I felt incredibly relieved.
“It’s a burden I’d been carrying on my own for a long time and I think it was time that I shared that burden. I’ve been shouting from the rooftops for the last 18 months and no one was listening, but I felt that yesterday was a step towards people starting to listen.
“I’ve not really followed much of the reaction, but generally what has surprised me is how surprised people are. If you ask any person of colour, they’re not surprised at all. This has been happening for a very long time, especially at Yorkshire County Cricket Club. There has been so much in the public domain - Imran Khan talking about in 1999, MP Terry Rooney in 2004, but it’s always been met with a defensive mentality and closing the ranks.
“I was very determined to make sure that my voice was heard.
“There was a lot I had to get off my chest and it was important for me to set a few records straight. Throughout the whole process the club has tried to discredit me, attack me personally, brief [people] about me. I’m not perfect but nothing excuses racism and some of the behaviours that I spoke about are unacceptable.”
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Tim Bresnan, Matthew Hoggard, Alex Hales, Gary Ballance and David Lloyd were all subject to fresh claims of racial discrimination, as was Yorkshire's suspended head coach Andrew Gale.
Hoggard and Lloyd have reached out an apologised to Rafiq personally.
He said: “Yeah, Hoggy reached out when there wasn’t a threat of it being in the public domain, and I admire him for that and I accept his apology and I thank him for that, because the next morning after I spoke out it made a real difference.
“David reached out yesterday and I made it very clear to him that what he said was unacceptable, for someone who doesn’t even know me, for him to say those things meant that it must have come from somewhere else, and he told me that he’d been brief by someone close to the club. So I accepted his apology.
“From the outset all I've said is I want an apology, an acceptance and a couple of people to answer why they felt it was right, why did [Yorkshire director] Martyn Moxon feel that on my first day back after the loss of my son that ripping the shreds off me was the right thing to do?”
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Joe Root has faced questions about his knowledge of what happened to Rafiq, with the former spinner saying the England captain was present when abuse took place.
He told talkSPORT: “Rooty is a good man. He never engaged in it, but to suggest he was not present would be wrong and it just shows how bad that environment and culture in that institution was.
“It was such a norm that no one fought to go ‘hold on a minute, this has got to stop’. It shows how far we’ve got to go when good men are looking another way.”
Rafiq took 217 wickets across 169 games in all competitions across his career and had a bright future ahead of him.
Now at 30, he admitted that his family need him but did not rule out a return to the sport in future.
Rafiq said: “I’ve tried to avoid talking about my cricket, but I think my T20 and One-Day stats speak for themselves.
“Never say never, but I feel broken, I need to heal and my family needs me.
“That’s the most important thing for me. But never say never.”
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Rafiq has received widespread praise for bravely speaking out about the harrowing torment he suffered at the club.
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He said: “I didn’t actually feel pressurised in there, I didn’t take any notes or anything because I could relive the moment and how it made me feel as it is still so raw.
“I spoke to my dad and wife last night, they were just incredibly proud of what I did yesterday and hopefully it will change sport, cricket and society and put it back in the right direction."
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