The Official Cricket Thread

[Paddington Bear]

Yorkshire's response to this has been utterly astonishing. If 6 months ago they'd banned a couple of people, properly apologised and taken steps to ensure it didn't happen again I think that would have covered it. Now, who knows where this ends.

[Slick]

When I read Vaughan's piece earlier my head was just screaming "guilty!"

[Margin__Walker]

On first reading the Vaughn thing comes down to the first allegation and how that plays out. He generally seems a bit of a prick, so it wouldn't surprise me.

The Kane Williamson thing is a bit of a nothing issue imo.

[Big D]

When I read Vaughan's piece earlier my head was just screaming "guilty!"

The thing is, it is always difficult to deny those types of accusations.

He has been accused of saying 1 thing 10+ years ago and then saying that Kane Williamson could bowl off spin (which he could) to hurt the victim.

He's a prick and some of his tweets are pathetic but until Rashid or Ajmal comment we are purely judging on what we think of that person and his previous behaviours. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he said it.

The Kane Williamson part of the story feels daft. When putting together a T20 team a class player who can turn his arm for a few overs is a big asset. It was bound to be a consideration. To leap straight to racism when the only other accusation against Vaughan seems to be one comment a few years prior seems a big leap.

[Slick]

When I read Vaughan's piece earlier my head was just screaming "guilty!"

The thing is, it is always difficult to deny those types of accusations.

He has been accused of saying 1 thing 10+ years ago and then saying that Kane Williamson could bowl off spin (which he could) to hurt the victim.

He's a prick and some of his tweets are pathetic but until Rashid or Ajmal comment we are purely judging on what we think of that person and his previous behaviours. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he said it.

The Kane Williamson part of the story feels daft. When putting together a T20 team a class player who can turn his arm for a few overs is a big asset. It was bound to be a consideration. To leap straight to racism when the only other accusation against Vaughan seems to be one comment a few years prior seems a big leap.

Yeah, totally get that, but there was just something in the wording of it, which is clearly by his legal people, that just didn't sit right. Hard to put a finger on it. I think it would be ludicrous to call him a racist but that particular part just seems odd to me.

[JM2K6]

When I read Vaughan's piece earlier my head was just screaming "guilty!"

The thing is, it is always difficult to deny those types of accusations.

He has been accused of saying 1 thing 10+ years ago and then saying that Kane Williamson could bowl off spin (which he could) to hurt the victim.

He's a prick and some of his tweets are pathetic but until Rashid or Ajmal comment we are purely judging on what we think of that person and his previous behaviours. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he said it.

The Kane Williamson part of the story feels daft. When putting together a T20 team a class player who can turn his arm for a few overs is a big asset. It was bound to be a consideration. To leap straight to racism when the only other accusation against Vaughan seems to be one comment a few years prior seems a big leap.

I suspect the Williamson thing has been shorn completely of the context that would make it more obviously an attack on Rafiq. But if it's confirmation about Vaughan's words you wanted, then: https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/form ... ts-1287618

A reminder that Vaughan is a snake who cannot abide any criticism of himself, true or otherwise. Remember his campaign about how he definitely didn't use "fredalo" in an interview, only for the audio to prove he absolutely did...

[SaintK]

When I read Vaughan's piece earlier my head was just screaming "guilty!"

Yes, indeed. Never liked him as a pundit either.
Sounds like CEO Martyn Moxon will have to resign after Hutton's comments. Fucking dinosaurs

[Big D]

I suspect the Williamson thing has been shorn completely of the context that would make it more obviously an attack on Rafiq. But if it's confirmation about Vaughan's words you wanted, then: https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/form ... ts-1287618

A reminder that Vaughan is a snake who cannot abide any criticism of himself, true or otherwise. Remember his campaign about how he definitely didn't use "fredalo" in an interview, only for the audio to prove he absolutely did...

Good fuck him. I don't think it is unreasonable to wait for corroboration when it should be available. Especially with singular accusations and I already have certain views on said prick.

If the WIlliamson has been shorn of context that will come out. But as presented in the report, and you are right it could be shorn of context, I don't see much wrong with the comments as it stands.

[Big D]

When I read Vaughan's piece earlier my head was just screaming "guilty!"

Yes, indeed. Never liked him as a pundit either.
Sounds like CEO Martyn Moxon will have to resign after Hutton's comments. Fucking dinosaurs

Seems like Hutton is trying to take them all down with that statement which is probably what should happen!

[duke]

When I read Vaughan's piece earlier my head was just screaming "guilty!"

Yes, indeed. Never liked him as a pundit either.
Sounds like CEO Martyn Moxon will have to resign after Hutton's comments. Fucking dinosaurs

Seems like Hutton is trying to take them all down with that statement which is probably what should happen!

Given the sponsors jumping ship and the loss of major match revenue, the club could be looking down the barrel of insolvency with the major building loan that they have to finance.

[Paddington Bear]

Vaughan's response is particularly cunty I'd say. I think we probably all take as read that he probably said it. He denies it, his word against Rafiq's. Now all media eyes turn to Adil Rashid to corroborate or not, whilst he's out trying to help win a major tournament for his country.

Bloke who's been through the ringer is stringed along further and a great British Asian role model from Yorkshire has to deal with a ton of shit when he'd want to be focussed on winning games.

[Kawazaki]

Rafiq believes that in recommending the signature of Williamson, I was attacking him and that I was doing so on grounds of race.

This sentence sums up much of the issues nowadays, be it race, gender, age, culture etc. Wherever subjective judgement is used, the person on the wrong sure if that judgement can say it was due to an inherent bias.

[Ymx]

Blimey. A few white boys dressed up in traditional Arabic wear. In UAE.

[Paddington Bear]

You've got to respect Rafiq, plenty of people would only be in this to get their own back. Even now, his main point is on effecting change. How Yorkshire have missed this and fucked it up so badly is beyond belief.

[Ymx]

He wants to take out the board. Vaughan is small fry.

[Paddington Bear]

Right, but taking out the Board for a purpose

[Ymx]

Presumably to prove that he presumably needs to have formally reported things which have been ignored??

[JM2K6]

Vaughan's response is particularly cunty I'd say. I think we probably all take as read that he probably said it. He denies it, his word against Rafiq's. Now all media eyes turn to Adil Rashid to corroborate or not, whilst he's out trying to help win a major tournament for his country.

Bloke who's been through the ringer is stringed along further and a great British Asian role model from Yorkshire has to deal with a ton of shit when he'd want to be focussed on winning games.

"I'm not saying that big called big nose is like racism, but I'm comparing it to racism" was a great touch from Vaughan eh

[SaintK]

Vaughan's response is particularly cunty I'd say. I think we probably all take as read that he probably said it. He denies it, his word against Rafiq's. Now all media eyes turn to Adil Rashid to corroborate or not, whilst he's out trying to help win a major tournament for his country.

Bloke who's been through the ringer is stringed along further and a great British Asian role model from Yorkshire has to deal with a ton of shit when he'd want to be focussed on winning games.

Corroborated but not by Rashid

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has corroborated Azeem Rafiq's claim that Michael Vaughan made a racist comment to a group of Asian players - a claim which Vaughan "totally denies".

The former England captain said he was named in Yorkshire's Rafiq report.

Vaughan is alleged to have told a group of Asian players, including Rafiq and Naved: "Too many of you lot, we need to do something about it."

Ex-Pakistan bowler Naved told ESPN he also heard the alleged comment.

[Biffer]

I've got over £500 worth of tickets booked for the Headingley test next year. We've also got £400+ on hotels.

[SaintK]

I've got over £500 worth of tickets booked for the Headingley test next year. We've also got £400+ on hotels.

You'd have hoped they would have sorted the issue before then?
Though this is Yorkshire CC we're talking about.

[SaintK]

Vaughan's response is particularly cunty I'd say. I think we probably all take as read that he probably said it. He denies it, his word against Rafiq's. Now all media eyes turn to Adil Rashid to corroborate or not, whilst he's out trying to help win a major tournament for his country.

Bloke who's been through the ringer is stringed along further and a great British Asian role model from Yorkshire has to deal with a ton of shit when he'd want to be focussed on winning games.

.....and it begins!

Michael Vaughan has been stood down from BBC 5 live’s Tuffers and Vaughan Show on Monday after two cricketers said they heard the former England captain make racist comments while playing for Yorkshire in 2009.
The decision came after Vaughan, who has worked as an expert summariser and analyst on Test Match Special for 12 years, was accused of telling three players of Asian descent that there were “too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” before a county match in Nottingham.

[Ymx]

[Ymx]

I made the mistake of searching Twitter.

Bloody hell that place is worse than PR !!

[Torquemada 1420]

Please be Michael Vaughan, please be Michael Vaughan...

It was: but he's played his full deck of denial cards including getting Ramprakash to give him a character reference.

Meantime:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/york ... ng-1287730

"Eee baaaa goom. Let's appoint one of them ragheads and it'll all go away" ?

[Torquemada 1420]

The sh*tshow just continues to give:

It emerged head coach Andrew Gale is facing an investigation for anti-Semitism, having been accused of telling a Leeds United press officer in a tweet to “Button it Yid”.

What is it with social media?

[Torquemada 1420]

This is just extraordinary

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/202 ... ed-needed/

When English cricket paused for a moment of reflection last year, reproaching itself for “unconscious bias” and for mirroring the racism in wider society, Tom Harrison delivered an unambiguous statement of intent. “I actually do want to be held to account on this,” declared the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board. “I want the pressure of accountability, because I think it helps us drive change.”

This of all weeks would seem an apt moment for Harrison to be taken at his word. Yorkshire, the most decorated county in the English game, is in an advanced state of self-immolation, accused of harbouring a culture of institutional racism.

Azeem Rafiq, the off-spinner referred to as a “P---” by former team-mate and England international Gary Ballance, has described how such treatment left him contemplating taking his own life. Yorkshire’s sponsors have deserted en masse in horror at the claims. More damning details are likely to emerge during a select committee hearing on November 16, when Rafiq is at last able to speak under parliamentary privilege.

A reckoning so profound calls for words of corresponding gravitas from the man at the top. And yet Harrison’s reaction, when pressed on Yorkshire’s findings of bullying and racial harassment towards Rafiq, was to say: “I have not read the report.”

[FalseBayFC]

The sh*tshow just continues to give:

It emerged head coach Andrew Gale is facing an investigation for anti-Semitism, having been accused of telling a Leeds United press officer in a tweet to “Button it Yid”.

What is it with social media?

Sounds like something from Viz magazine.

[Sandstorm]

I've got over £500 worth of tickets booked for the Headingley test next year. We've also got £400+ on hotels.

They’ll do what they always do in these situations: move the test to Cardiff.

[Ymx]

Former cricketer Azeem Rafiq has accepted a six-figure sum from Yorkshire County Cricket Club which has vowed to “listen and change” in the wake of the racism scandal at Headingley.

The settlement was announced by incoming chair Lord Kamlesh Patel, who said the club had to be "anti-racist and anti-discriminatory from this day forward".

The bowler was found to have been a victim of "racial harassment and bullying" while playing for the club but no one was punished, prompting widespread criticism.

[Ymx]

Not quite the conclusion I was expecting.

I thought he was looking to get it dismantled/reformed as opposed to a cash settlement plus a few pledges to improve.

[Calculon]

You're such a twat

[JM2K6]

Not quite the conclusion I was expecting.

I thought he was looking to get it dismantled/reformed as opposed to a cash settlement plus a few pledges to improve.

just fucking lol if you don't think he's done enough to cause genuine change, Yorkshire simply can't whitewash this now and getting a settlement does not stop Rafiq from putting pressure on them to change

case in point: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/59227909

[Ymx]

When I read Vaughan's piece earlier my head was just screaming "guilty!"

The thing is, it is always difficult to deny those types of accusations.

He has been accused of saying 1 thing 10+ years ago and then saying that Kane Williamson could bowl off spin (which he could) to hurt the victim.

He's a prick and some of his tweets are pathetic but until Rashid or Ajmal comment we are purely judging on what we think of that person and his previous behaviours. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he said it.

The Kane Williamson part of the story feels daft. When putting together a T20 team a class player who can turn his arm for a few overs is a big asset. It was bound to be a consideration. To leap straight to racism when the only other accusation against Vaughan seems to be one comment a few years prior seems a big leap.

Yeah, totally get that, but there was just something in the wording of it, which is clearly by his legal people, that just didn't sit right. Hard to put a finger on it. I think it would be ludicrous to call him a racist but that particular part just seems odd to me.

I got that legal vibe too.
- seemed to suggest a precedent anything said or recalled a long time ago (10 years +) was inadmissible.
- then said he categorically denies saying anything. While saying that point, it would be caught up in the previous clause. So deniability.

[Ymx]

Not quite the conclusion I was expecting.

I thought he was looking to get it dismantled/reformed as opposed to a cash settlement plus a few pledges to improve.

just fucking lol if you don't think he's done enough to cause genuine change, Yorkshire simply can't whitewash this now and getting a settlement does not stop Rafiq from putting pressure on them to change

case in point: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/59227909

Well perhaps I’m wrong. I hope I am wrong, and it instigates real change.

[inactionman]

The sh*tshow just continues to give:

It emerged head coach Andrew Gale is facing an investigation for anti-Semitism, having been accused of telling a Leeds United press officer in a tweet to “Button it Yid”.

What is it with social media?

He's now suspended.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/ ... oric-tweet

No idea of context, some limited mitigation if it turns out the chap is a spuds fan - given they called themselves the yid army at that point - but didn't think it was used even in that context. Outright rotten if he meant it in any other way.

[Paddington Bear]

Gale going down for that post is very much the Capone on tax fraud of this saga.

[Torquemada 1420]

The sh*tshow just continues to give:

It emerged head coach Andrew Gale is facing an investigation for anti-Semitism, having been accused of telling a Leeds United press officer in a tweet to “Button it Yid”.

What is it with social media?

He's now suspended.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/ ... oric-tweet

No idea of context, some limited mitigation if it turns out the chap is a spuds fan - given they called themselves the yid army at that point - but didn't think it was used even in that context. Outright rotten if he meant it in any other way.

Seems unlikely since he was the Leeds press officer but stranger things have happened!

[Rinkals]

I don't agree with it all, but here's a little context on Ballance.

http://africaunauthorised.com/garyballa ... 6vco01e048

[JM2K6]

What bits do you agree with? That's a horror show of an article.