Middlesex chairman condemned for ‘outdated’ views at racism hearing

English cricket has come under fresh criticism for its attitudes towards racism and “outdated” stereotypes after the chairman of Middlesex, Mike O’Farrell, told parliament that the sport’s lack of diversity was down to black players preferring football and rugby and the Asian community prioritising education.

Azeem Rafiq and Ebony Rainford-Brent were among those to express their disbelief after O’Farrell suggested to a digital, culture, media and sport select committee hearing that it wasn’t cricket’s fault that more players from ethnic communities weren’t playing the game.

“The other thing in the diversity bit is that the football and rugby world becomes much more attractive to the Afro-Caribbean community,” explained O’Farrell.

“And 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 to the next step because they sometimes prefer to go into other educational fields, and then cricket becomes secondary,” he added.

“Part of that is because it’s a rather more time-consuming sport than some others. So we’re finding that’s difficult.”

O’Farrell’s comments were similar to those made by former FA chairman Greg Clarke, who was forced to resign after telling the same committee in 2020 that south Asian people choose careers in IT over sport.

And they were immediately condemned by Rafiq, who gave explosive evidence to the same DCMS select committee in November where he described the game as “institutionally racist’”. “This has just confirmed what an endemic problem the game has,” he tweeted. “I actually can’t believe what I am listening to #GiveMeStrength.”

He later told Sky Sports: “Listening to some of his narratives, I’ve got a message for him: