Yorkshire CCC

The word on the street is that he always was, and still is, a trouble causer with an incredibly bad attitude.
 
As a teenager, not so shy and retiring, he got into trouble on his England U19 debut when after being sanctioned by team manager John Abrahams for breaking the mid match curfew he launched into an expletive ridden twitter rant against him and others.. Whilst playing against York CC for Barnsley/Yorkshire Academy he twice reduced players families and partners to tears with highly personal abuse and other clubs have similar stories to tell.
 
Well this is escalating.

Not sure Gary Ballance has an England come back in him. Michael Vaughan now taking to the media to protest innocence.

Sponsors dropping like shit from a blanket. Banned from hosting Test matches.

It doesn’t match up with a few anecdotals of him being difficult does it.

The fact that the club chose to release a statement when India binned the 5th test doesn’t help. Or the redacted version of the inquiry they released to the ECB or the complainant.

It took a leaked copy to cricinfo to let the cat out.

And an inquiry put up by the old law firm of the chairman.

Could you make it up.?
 
I would agree that the legal team working for Rafiq have so far done a magnificent job whereas it appears those working for Yorkshire CCC have not . I would also agree that he will net a few hundred thousand. Was he really on the brink of suicide due to racial abuse and a lack of support or does this just add a few noughts to his settlement, I know what I believe to be true.
 
Well the chairman has just resigned, this being the one who only took the role in 2020 and is alleging that any attempts to change the toxic environment at the club were ignored by the exec and any support from the ECB seems to have been ignored.

And an Asian team mate has come out stating that he will sit in front of the hearing.

Could it be that Yorkshire have been trying to ignore and deflect. It certainly seems so doesn’t it.
 
The new DCMS chief was on the radio the other day saying Leicestershire CCC were a shining example of what a country cricket club should be.

Reckon the weekend papers will be dropping a few more bombs on this particular topic.
 
Would love to be able to read a compendium of Azeem Rafiq's deleted tweets but unfortunately that ain't possible since he relaunched himself.
 
Was he really on the brink of suicide due to racial abuse and a lack of support or does this just add a few noughts to his settlement, I know what I believe to be true
This may be true but a lot of people would do the same, but that is a distraction from a much deeper problem. I've read articles in the past about some of the goings on there and I'm surprised it's taken this long to come out TBH.
 
Think he lost a child due to a miscarriage which left him low. After a 2 year break following the time of his alleged atrocious treatment he mysteriously still wanted to come back to Yorkshire indeed he was given captaincy of the T20 side and given his county cap which means a big increase in salary.
 
Think he lost a child due to a miscarriage which left him low. After a 2 year break following the time of his alleged atrocious treatment he mysteriously still wanted to come back to Yorkshire indeed he was given captaincy of the T20 side and given his county cap which means a big increase in salary.
So are you implying that because he's probably a bit of a dick, what's alleged to have gone on is OK?
 
In answer to your question I do not believe that offences such as those alleged are acceptable and systems should already have been in place that would prevent such incidents and would be able to investigate and resolve any issues in a timely fashion.
I also think the Yorkshire hierarchy has long been full of old upper class farts and ex players. It would be hard to argue that they treated anybody outside their clique equally and that they didn't specialise in jobs for the boys. For instance they have a pro training scheme during the winter run by ex players for allegedly the best youth cricketers in the county however the money charged to the parents rules out the vast majority of kids some of them the most talented. The Pro scheme players will then get picked to represent the county.
Regarding Rafiq though my opinion is unchanged.
 
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In answer to your question I do not believe that offences such as those alleged are acceptable and systems should already have been in place that would prevent such incidents and would be able to investigate and resolve any issues in a timely fashion.
I also think the Yorkshire hierarchy has long being full of old upper class farts and ex players. It would be hard to argue that they treated anybody outside their clique equally and that they didn't specialise in jobs for the boys. For instance they have a pro training scheme during the winter run by ex players for allegedly the best youth cricketers in the county however the money charged to the parents rules out the vast majority of kids some of them the most talented. The Pro scheme players will then get picked to represent the county.
Regarding Rafiq though my opinion is unchanged.
Fair comment. Things may have changed, but I remember as a youth the County only seemed to recruit kids from the Grammar Schools. I'm pretty sure people aren't naturally more gifted if their parents have more money.
 
Fair comment. Things may have changed, but I remember as a youth the County only seemed to recruit kids from the Grammar Schools. I'm pretty sure people aren't naturally more gifted if their parents have more money.
Are you confusing Grammar schools with private schools? Everyone in my class came from 'working class' families
 
The private schools teach kids how to play cricket. If the state schools did the same - actually taught how to bowl, how to hold a bat, how to catch a ball - then the class divide in cricket would fade away. Crossy was a good cricketer.
Yorkshire has always been a dodgy place.
 
To answer that surely you'd need to know if the new settlement is substantially bigger than the previous offer
 
Here's a copy of a Facebook post from an ex York CC committee member (NOT Yorkshire CCC) forwarded to me over the weekend. Pretty much mirrors my thoughts:

I have finally snapped and am going to put my head above the parapet.
I find myself more than angry and sick to death of the lazy reporting of the Azeem Rafiq racism claims.
Let me state it is my belief that there is no room for racists in our society, not just in the sport of cricket.
Yorkshire CCC have failed at every level to deal with these issues for far too long and deserve to have the spotlight shone on their actions.
However there is another side to this story that is not being reported at all.
Rafiq is far from innocent in all of this but is happy to be seen as a victim.
He is equally culpable when it comes to inappropriate comments.
I have witnessed his behaviour, aggression and his verbal bullying of others both on and off the pitch.
Many players and officials in the Yorkshire Premier League could attest to this.
There has been no mention of his suspension from all forms of the game after his personal attack on twitter and his outburst against his coach at England under 19 level, John Abrahams.
It was widely reported at the time that having been dropped from the side after breaking a mid match curfew, Rafiq tweeted the following ...
"John Abrahams is a useless ****" ECB prove it again what incompetent people are working for them. John Abrahams is a useless W*****"
I wonder how Mr Abrahams felt about such an attack?
Why aren't these comments being highlighted?
Former Yorkshire Cricket Board member Tony Bowry, when interviewed on the BBC this morning commented on Rafiq and his aggressive attitude and Tony coached him.
Having left the county club in 2014, if the situation was as bad as Rafiq states then why did he return to the club for a second time in 2016?
None of this has been highlighted or mentioned on any media platform that I have seen.
I am in no way supportive of Yorkshire CCC in this matter but Rafiq's failure to build a successful career from his lofty position as England under 19 captain has far more to do with his own shortcomings rather than any racist comments.
A bigger story surrounds this whole unsavoury episode and personal agendas are at play.
A more balanced reporting of these matters is urgently needed.
 
His behaviour is not relevant. That of his colleagues and employers is.
Turning the argument against the victim is an old trick but the case is admitted.
The well has been poisoned long enough at Yorkshire and they need bringing into the 21st century.
If Rafiq was so nasty and unprofessional why re employ him?
Racism is not acceptable whatever anyone's 'shortcomings'.
 
If Rafiq repeatedly referred to Gary Ballance as an effing Zimbo in their chat/banter would that be relevant cos I'm really not sure of the rules and it's absolute bollocks to say his behaviour is not relevant to the case.
 
If Rafiq repeatedly referred to Gary Ballance as an effing Zimbo in their chat/banter would that be relevant cos I'm really not sure of the rules and it's absolute bollocks to say his behaviour is not relevant to the case.
I think Rafiq acknowledged his issue wasn't with what Ballance called him, they were as bad as each other, it was the institutional racism that was the issue.
 
Exactly. Implying that racism is justified if the victim is not a nice person is ridiculous.
You (Yorkfox) should read in the i the tricks employed by some cricketers there over two generations to remind young players that they are not welcome as they are not 'proper' (a Yorkshire term we are told).
I am old enough to remember when it applied to anyone who was not 'proper', being born beyond that most parochial of counties.
So recognise and address the problem instead of trying to fudge it with false arguments about 'balance'.
And denying England some first class prospects...
 
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