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Gary Ballance: Cricketer admits using racial slur towards former Yorkshire teammate Azeem Rafiq


Ballance, who performed 23 check matches for England between 2014 and 2017, stated that he “deeply remorse[s] a number of the language I utilized in my youthful years” and that he and Rafiq share an “extremely shut relationship.”

Former Yorkshire County Cricket Membership participant Rafiq made allegations of racism on the membership in 2020, after which Yorkshire apologized and stated that he was the “sufferer of inappropriate behaviour.”

An impartial panel seemed into the claims on behalf of the membership and determined to not self-discipline any people.

In a statement revealed on the Yorkshire web site on Wednesday, Ballance stated: “It has been reported that I used a racial slur and, as I instructed the impartial enquiry, I settle for that I did so and I remorse doing so.

“I don’t want to discredit Rafa by repeating the phrases and statements that he made about me and others however I’ve to be clear that this was a scenario the place finest pals stated offensive issues to one another which, outdoors of that context, can be thought-about wholly inappropriate.

“I remorse that these exchanges occurred however at no time did I consider or perceive that it had prompted Rafa misery. If I had believed that then I might have stopped instantly. He was my finest mate in cricket and I cared deeply for him. To my data, it has by no means been alleged that I diminished Rafa to tears.”

Rafiq fields for Yorkshire against Lancashire in 2017.

He added: “All through this course of I’ve cooperated with the impartial investigation and I’ve been fully sincere and clear with the membership and the investigators always.”

Roger Hutton, the chairman of Yorkshire CCC, has been summoned to the UK Parliament on November 16 to reply questions over the membership’s dealing with of the racial harassment in the direction of Rafiq, and on Wednesday, sponsors Yorkshire Tea and Emerald Publishing introduced that they might be slicing ties with the membership.

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Not less than one participant admitted to often utilizing the time period ‘P**i’ — a phrase extensively seen as a derogatory slur in opposition to folks of South Asian and Center Jap origin within the UK — when speaking to Rafiq, in response to a report seen by ESPNcricinfo and detailed this week.

CNN has contacted Yorkshire for additional remark.

Writing on Twitter on Wednesday, Rafiq stated: “I am not meaning to say very a lot till the choose committee listening to later this month. Nevertheless, I wished to emphasize this isn’t actually in regards to the phrases of sure people.

“That is about institutional racism and abject failures to behave by quite a few leaders at Yorkshire County Cricket Membership and within the wider recreation. The game I really like and my membership desperately want reform and cultural change.”

In an announcement, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) stated it had acquired Yorkshire’s report into the racism and bullying allegations made by Rafiq and that it’s endeavor an investigation.



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