Racism and sexism ‘widespread’ in English cricket, report finds

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Racism and sexism are “widespread and deep-rooted” in English cricket, with discrimination “baked into the structures” of the game, according to a long-awaited independent report into the culture and governance of the sport.

The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket said on Tuesday that the game must “urgently reform” after finding that racism was “entrenched”, women were “marginalised”, and that class barriers had been ignored.

While praising some of the progress made by the England and Wales Cricket Board in recent years, the ICEC called for a new regulator “to increase trust and confidence” in the sport because the current governing body’s “dual roles of promoter and regulator” could “give rise to conflicts of interest”.

“Racism, class-based discrimination, elitism and sexism are widespread and deep-rooted. The game must face up to the fact that it’s not banter or just a few bad apples,” said ICEC chair Cindy Butts. “Discrimination is both overt and baked into the structures and processes within cricket.” 

The ECB commissioned the report in November 2020 after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in the US in May that year.

Interest in the review soared following a racism scandal at Yorkshire County Cricket Club exposed by former player Azeem Rafiq, which resulted in six ex-cricketers being sanctioned earlier this year.

The ICEC said submissions of evidence had increased significantly after Rafiq gave damning personal testimony of the abuse he had suffered throughout his career to MPs in November 2021.

A parliamentary committee later recommended withholding state funding from the game until it had proven its ability to tackle racism.

As part of the review, the ICEC received evidence from more than 4,000 people — including players and coaches at all levels of the sport. One in two of those who responded to its call said they had experienced some form of discrimination.

One respondent, described as an “Asian (Pakistani) former player”, said his teammates had thrown bacon sandwiches at him and poured alcohol over him. “All the stories that Azeem Rafiq talks about, that all happened to me. All the abuse, the isolation, the hatred,” he said.

A current female professional player said she had been told she was the “type of good-looking girl we want to have on billboards”. She added: “It makes you feel you’re there because of how you look rather than how you play.”

Apologising “unreservedly”, ECB chair Richard Thompson said the report made for “deeply uncomfortable reading” but vowed it would act as a “wake-up call”.

“We will use this moment to reset cricket. This cannot and will not be a quick fix — we must take the time to put in place meaningful structural reforms,” he wrote in a letter to Butts. “Cricket has been here before. This time our response will be different.”

The ICEC made 44 recommendations, including an overhaul of the pay structure in women’s cricket, a complete revamp of the talent pathway for young players to boost meritocracy, and a push to “revive” the game within black communities.

The ECB said it would spend three months reviewing the findings before deciding an action plan to deliver on the recommendations.