'Inconceivable' - Ex-England captain Vaughan denies making racist comments

Michael Vaughan insisted it was "inconceivable" that he would make the racist comment he has been accused of by Azeem Rafiq. Former England captain Vaughan began his defence against an England and Wales Cricket Board charge of using racist and/or discriminatory language in London on Friday.

Vaughan said the entire process was a "terrible look" for cricket and that he had tried to meet with Rafiq to reach an amicable resolution. The charge was read out to Vaughan by ECB lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC, who said: "You agree the words 'there's too many of you lot, we have to have a word about that' are totally unacceptable?" "Absolutely," replied Vaughan.

"And racist and discriminatory?" asked Mulcahy. "Absolutely," said Vaughan, who in his witness statement said: "I consider it to be inconceivable that I would use the words contained in the allegation." Vaughan was cross-examined in front of the public Cricket Discipline Commission hearing into Rafiq's claims of racism at Yorkshire.

The 48-year-old was alleged to have made the "you lot" comment to four Asian team-mates; Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Ajmal Shahzad, moments after a team huddle prior to a T20 match in 2009. "I have a very clear mind about, back in 2009, that I know I didn't say the words I've been alleged to have said," said Vaughan.

"If you go through the history of me as a player I don't know any time I'd have gone onto a pitch and said something to my team-mates that would have put them in a bad state of mind to play cricket. "That comment I'm alleged to have said would have put my team-mates in a position not to be able to perform to their maximum." Mulcahy brought up an historic tweet from Vaughan from 2010 about the service offered by telephone