Middlesex chair's lack of diversity comments part of 'endemic problem'-Rafiq

Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq has criticised Middlesex County Cricket Club chief Mike O'Farrell's comments attempting to explain English cricket's lack of diversity, saying it was indicative of an "endemic problem" in the sport.

The county cricket chairs of Middlesex, Yorkshire, Hampshire and Glamorgan appeared before a Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) select committee on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation into cricketing governance.

The committee was formed after a number of players, including Rafiq, alleged they were victims of institutional racism at their clubs.

Speaking before the DCMS committee, O'Farrell suggested that a lack of diversity in English cricket could be attributed to minority communities focusing on other interests.

"The football and rugby world becomes much more attractive to the Afro-Caribbean community," O'Farrell said.

"In terms of the South Asian community, we're finding that they do not want necessarily to commit the same time that is necessary to go the next step.

"They sometimes prefer to go into other educational fields and then cricket becomes secondary, and part of that is because it's a more time-consuming sport than some others."

Rafiq responded to O'Farrell's comments on Twitter, saying it was a "painful listen".

"Shows how far removed from reality these people are," Rafiq said. "This has just confirmed what an endemic problem the game has. I actually can't believe what I am listening to."

(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)