Yorkshire slapped with heavy points deduction over Azeem Rafique racism scandal

Yorkshire have slipped down to the bottom of Division 2 of the County Championship after admitting to four charges related to the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal

Yorkshire County Cricket Club has been sent to the bottom of Division Two of the County Championship after on Friday being slapped with a whopping 48-point deduction. The deduction comes after the club admitted to four charges related to the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal. Additionally, Yorkshire have also been fined 400,000 pounds by the independent Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) of which 300,000 pounds has been suspended for two years.

Former England Under-19s captain Rafique told a British parliamentary committee in 2021 of "inhuman" treatment at Yorkshire (Getty)

"The CDC and ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) have today acknowledged the vast amount of work done by YCCC to overcome the cultural issues that existed within the club, which allowed racist and discriminatory behaviour to go unchallenged," said the Yorkshire board in its statement.

"We are accountable for these issues, and we accepted four amended charges as part of a continued commitment to ensure we are able to move forward." It however added that it was disappointed with the points deduction. "We are disappointed to receive the point deductions which affects players and staff at the club, who were not responsible for the situation."

Pakistan-born bowler Rafiq, 32, went public with allegations of racism and bullying in September 2020, related to his two spells at the English county. The former England Under-19s captain then told a British parliamentary committee in 2021 of "inhuman" treatment at Yorkshire and said he had been a victim of institutional racism at the club. The allegations sparked an inquisition into systemic racism in the game in England.

Six former Yorkshire players were previously fined by the CDC after being found guilty of using racist language. Former England captain Michael Vaughan was cleared of using racist language "on the balance of probabilities". Separately, a damning report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) last month revealed "widespread" racism, sexism and classism in English cricket. The ICEC was established in 2021 following the racism scandal surrounding the treatment of Rafiq.

“There can be no place for racism in our game, and the penalties announced by the Cricket Discipline Commission mark the end of a thorough disciplinary process. No one should have to experience what Azeem Rafiq went through in cricket, and we once again thank him for his courage in speaking out,” said ECB chief executive Richard Gould.