Azeem Rafiq: Cricket’s voice for the voiceless

DUBAI: Azeem Rafiq’s tale is one for the ages. It encapsulates the contemporary differences and tensions in British society, generating considerations that resonate across other societies in which cricket has a foothold.

The unfolding of his tale has been covered in previous columns. Revelations of racial abuse were first published in a cricket journal in 2020. These attracted the interest of a UK Parliamentary Select Committee in 2021, to whom Rafiq gave a harrowing public account of his experiences. After that, the England and Wales Cricket Board requested the establishment of an Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket. It reported in June 2023. Three months later, the ECB published its response.

In an interview conducted with Rafiq in the Arab News office in Dubai this week, he provided a candid opinion on the ECB’s response and related issues. His overall view is that the response is “flimsy and falls short of what is required.” When asked what is required, he has no doubt that the fundamental issues of systemic racism are still not being addressed with meaningful programs of change. He refers to a previous ECB report in 1999 on the same subject that was more specific in terms of what it would put in place. In over 20 years, he judges, there has been little progress, even regression.

The issue is, why? Rafiq talked about the forces of denial within society, about skilfully produced briefings made against him and others who have supported him, and of the death threats made against him and his family. These were instrumental in them relocating to Dubai, where he feels much safer.

Asked if he has regrets, he says none at all. He is strong in his faith, which has been a sustaining force. However, he admits to