Ex-England cricket captain Vaughan cleared of racism on 'balance of probabilities'

Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan was on Friday cleared "on the balance of probabilities" of using racist language before a match for county club Yorkshire in 2009.

The 2005 Ashes-winning captain was alleged to have used the term "you lot" when referring to a group of four players of South Asian ethnicity, including Pakistan-born Azeem Rafiq.

A Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) report said it was "not satisfied on the balance of probabilities" that Vaughan spoke the words he was alleged to have used.

But it added that its findings "do not in any way undermine the wider assertions" made by Rafiq, who told lawmakers in November 2021 that English cricket was "institutionally racist".

Vaughan, who appeared in person at a CDC hearing earlier this month, thanked the panel for "their careful attention in very difficult circumstances" in a statement on social media.