Azeem Rafiq stays true to his cause

LONDON: It is two years since I first met Azeem Rafiq in Dubai to discuss the launch of his book, “It’s not banter, it’s racism.” A video of our wide-ranging discussion was published by Arab News, along with a summary of the interview.

At that time, a firm date for the publication of the book had not been fixed. This was partly because the implications of Rafiq’s revelations of racism in English cricket were subject to long distillation by cricket’s establishment, necessitating frequent updates as new perspectives emerged. 

Eventually, the book was released at the Hay Book festival in May 2024. It has generated polarized views. A paperback version of the book was released in mid-2025 that included a short additional chapter, which provided updates on what may now be regarded as a saga. These related to the life of Azeem and his family in Dubai, ongoing advisory and media work and his sadness at the reversion of Yorkshire County Cricket Club to what he views as its intrinsic culture. This is one which denies that it is racist and blames those who accused it of such as responsible for its most recent travails.

My first question to Azeem was to expand on how this has affected him. In the immediate aftermath of his revelations in 2022, he received many apologies, heard many statements by those in charge of cricket about acceptance of the need for change and, consequently, had reason to be optimistic that shifts in attitudes to racism in the sport would occur. Instead, he has watched people who had been charged and sanctioned for racist attitudes being invited to return to coaching and administrative positions in cricket, notably at Yorkshire.

He has also been concerned at a perceived change in stance within the England