Andrew Gale ‘not willing to engage’ in ‘tainted’ ECB racism disciplinary process

Former Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale says he will not engage with the England and Wales Cricket Board’s “tainted” disciplinary process related to racism allegations made by Azeem Rafiq.

The ECB announced earlier this month that Yorkshire and “a number of individuals” had been charged with bringing the sport into disrepute following an investigation into Rafiq’s allegations, and how those allegations had been handled by the county.

Gale released a lengthy statement on Wednesday confirming he would not engage with the process, saying: “I refuse to have my life defined by unsubstantiated allegations by an embittered former colleague and by a Yorkshire/ECB witch-hunt.”

Rafiq, who had two spells at the county from 2008-14 and 2016-18, had accused Gale in his evidence to MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee of discriminating against him and bullying him over an extended period of time.

Gale was sacked by Yorkshire last year but earlier this month won an unfair dismissal claim. Gale said an Employment Tribunal in October would decide what remedy would be made available to him in relation to that successful claim, as well as considering his additional claim of victimisation.

He criticised the ECB’s handling of the process, saying it had chosen not to interview him in person and that he had not had a single phone call from the governing body.

“I do not share the ECB‘s view that it has conducted a ‘thorough and complex’ investigation,” Gale said.

I have no faith that a fair and just outcome will be the result if I engage in the process.- Andrew Gale

“There appears to be no corroborative evidence before the ECB from existing YCCC players or former players to back up Azeem’s perception of how he was treated during