English cricket. From Bazball to racism
For those who stayed up into the early hours of a recent Tuesday or caught up with it later the result of the second Test between New Zealand and England was gripping stuff. Indeed New Zealand’s victory by one run was only the second such instance in Test history. Coming after they had followed on (batted again)made it even more significant.
Under new coach Brendan McCullum England play a form of cricket known as Bazball. Essentially it is aggressive and robust play with a focus on winning. So far it has been successful-this was only the second defeat. It also makes for watchable cricket since something is always happening. I should note that I am far from averse to cricket where nothing much appears to be happening but can accept that this isn’t likely to interest those currently not fans.
That is one side of English cricket. Another has been on display as the issue of racism at Yorkshire cricket finally reached a hearing called by the game’s authority the ECB.
Yorkshire have admitted charges of racism after complaints raised by former player Azeem Rafiq, but nearly all those called to account refused to participate with the exception of former England captain Michael Vaughan. He has now been found not guilty of using racist language on the balance of probabilities
Rafiq’s complaints have raised wider issues about racism in English cricket, aired at two meetings of the Commons Sport Select Committee. There is no question there is an issue. There is also the matter about whether, aside from agreeing that point, the ECB is really doing anything about it.
According to media reports Yorkshire cricket is in financial difficulties due to payments made to staff sacked after the Azeem Rafiq complaints where appropriate processes were not followed. Its also reported that Colin Graves who presided over Yorkshire cricket from 2012-15 and then moved to the ECB may return to preside over the club.
If Bazball suggests a hopeful way forward for English cricket there are still a lot of issues to be addressed
The extent of the problem can be seen in this Telegraph headline:
‘The ECB dragged its Ashes winning captain through a public hearing based on a disputed phrase said in a team huddle at the fag end of his career in 2009; so long ago the last Labour government was still in power’
The report underneath is reasonable enough but the whole drift is that issues of racism don’t need to be investigated. MichaelVaughan’s statement suggests they do and he is a Telegraph columnist.
The Times Editorial (1st April) while arguing there are no winners concludes:
The biggest loser may be cricket itself. Players of South Asian background make up 30 per cent of grassroots teams but only 4 per cent of professionals. The danger is that a new generation of talented players will have been alienated rather than reassured by what they have seen.
Quite so. George Dobell, who has done much to bring a focus on issues at Yorkshire, in the Cricketer, argues that the outcome of the hearing will send the message to cricket across the country that things have to change.
They have but how will that change occur. Who or what is going to challenge onstitutional discrimination and racism in the game, and how? How will entrenched individual biases be rooted out. It should be, it must be,work in progress. Will it be?
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