“A dreadful day in a long list of awful days for English cricket” – Nasser Hussain on the racism case in Yorkshire

The English Cricket Board has just brought racism allegations against former England captain Michael Vaughan, who has recently been the subject of widespread media attention (ECB). However, the Cricket Disciplinary Committee’s hearing on Friday, March 31, found the allegations to be “not proven.” Azeem Rafiq brought these claims against Vaughan and six other former Yorkshire players. The CDC asserted, however, that Rafiq and Adil Rashid were not lying when they accused Vaughan of uttering racial remarks; they were simply wrong. Former English captain Nasser Hussain weighed in on the CDC’s ruling by offering his perspective on the subject. As a result of how poorly the incident was handled, he believes it is a dark day for England cricket.

“A very sad and bad day [for English cricket] in a long list of sad days on this subject. In years to come, this process will be held up as the gold standard for how not to investigate an allegation of racism. I am sure Azeem Rafiq did not want it to be about individuals. It is beyond belief how you can get through an investigation so poorly and make it about individuals,” Hussain told Sky Sports News.

Now is the time for education and progress. Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain also expressed his opinion on the importance of words and how the entire situation will effect Azeem Rafiq. In addition, he remarked on how he hopes everyone concerned can get past the matter.

“Language are really significant, and you can’t learn and progress without looking back,” Nasser Hussain said. “Many of the incidents divert from the larger issues that the game needs to address. They botched the process.”

He said, “I can only imagine the harm this must have caused to numerous people on both sides, and Azeem in particular; what he must have gone through must have been incredibly traumatic.”