Ebony Rainford-Brent calls Middlesex chairman's views on black and South Asian interest 'painful'

Former England player Ebony Rainford-Brent says Middlesex chairman Mike O'Farrell's comments on black and South Asian interest in cricket are «painful» and «outdated».

O'Farrell was speaking at a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee hearing into how cricket plans to tackle racism in the sport.

He said that football and rugby become «much more attractive to the Afro-Caribbean community» and that cricket was sometimes «secondary» to education for young South Asian players.

Rainford-Brent said such «outdated views» were «exactly» why cricket was under pressure to tackle issues of diversity and inclusion following former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq's account of racism in the sport.

A parliamentary report earlier this month recommended the government should limit public funding for cricket unless there was «continuous, demonstrable progress» on eradicating «deep-seated racism».

Rafiq, who in November told the DCMS select committee that English cricket was «institutionally racist», said O'Farrell's comments «confirmed what an endemic problem the game has».

When asked about Middlesex's record on diversity and inclusion, O'Farrell said that 57% of their players under the age of 17 came from «culturally diverse backgrounds».

He said that was «more difficult» to maintain at higher levels and particularly in the academy, for «several reasons».

Going into those reasons, O'Farrell claimed that «the football and rugby worlds become much more attractive to the Afro-Caribbean community» at that age.

He added: «In terms of the South Asian community, there is a moment where we're finding that they do not want necessarily to commit the same time that is necessary to go to the next step because they prefer — not always saying