Institutional racism and sexism infects English cricket, an independent report finds

 LONDON: Institutional racism, sexism and class-based discrimination continue to infect English cricket, an independent commission has found.

A long-awaited report into the state of the sport was published on Tuesday by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, known as the ICEC. Among its findings, racism was “entrenched” in the English game, women were treated as “second-class citizens,” and cricket was a rare option in state schools.

Then, if anybody wanted to complain about the problems, the ICEC says the system was confusing and not fit for purpose.

England and Wales Cricket Board chair Richard Thompson issued a public apology and described the report as a “wake up call.”

“I apologize unreservedly to anyone who has ever been excluded from cricket or made to feel like they don’t belong,” Thompson said. “Powerful conclusions within the report also highlight that for too long women and Black people were neglected. We are truly sorry for this.”

English cricket was rocked in 2020 when former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq said he was a victim of racial harassment and bullying through two spells at the nation’s most successful club from 2008-18.

During a tearful testimony at a parliamentary hearing in 2021, he spoke of the Islamophobia and bullying he was subjected to.

“Do I believe I lost my career to racism? Yes, I do,” Rafiq said at the hearing.

The ICEC was commissioned in November 2020 as part of the ECB’s wide-ranging effort to address allegations of discrimination and improve equality, diversity and inclusion in cricket. The findings were initially scheduled to be reported last year.

The report calls for “decisive action,” makes 44 recommendations and a number of sub-recommendations. The ECB said