England Captain Ben Stokes 'Sorry' After Cricket Report Exposes Racism And Sexism

England captain Ben Stokes said Tuesday he was "deeply sorry" to learn of the scale of discrimination in the sport after a damning report revealed "widespread" racism, sexism and classism in the game. His comments followed the publication by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) of its much-anticipated report, "Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket". The commission, set up by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), makes 44 recommendations, including that the board makes an "unqualified public apology" for its failings.

The ICEC was established in 2021 following a racism scandal centered around the treatment of Pakistan-born bowler Azeem Rafiq at Yorkshire.

In a separate development the ECB said the county club should be fined 500,000 pounds ($638,000) and given points deductions over their handling of the case.

Of the more than 4,000 individuals interviewed for the ICEC report, 50 percent described experiencing discrimination in the previous five years, with the figures substantially higher for people from ethnically diverse communities.

Women are treated as "subordinate" to men at all levels of cricket, the report found, adding that they receive an "embarrassingly small amount" of pay compared to their male counterparts.

It recommends that match fees for the men's and women's teams be "equalised with immediate effect".

The ICEC report also states that not enough has been done to address class barriers in the game, with fee-paying private schools dominating the talent pathway.

'Unequivocal'

"Our findings are unequivocal," said ICEC chair Cindy Butts. "Racism, class-based discrimination, elitism and sexism are widespread and deep-rooted.

"The game must face up to the fact that it's not banter or just a