New Yorkshire chair receives ‘phenomenally racist’ letters in wake of racism scandal

Yorkshire chair Lord Patel has outlined the “phenomenally racist” letters he has received since Azeem Rafiq’s shocking claims of racial harassment and bullying in his time at the county.

On the day that Test cricket returned to Headingley for the first time since the racism scandal that engulfed the county last September, Patel said Yorkshire would have gone bust but for England playing in Leeds again.

Yorkshire and “a number of individuals” were charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board last week following an investigation into the racism allegations made by Rafiq, and the handling of those allegations by the club.

Rafiq said he was a step nearer to “closure” after those disrepute charges were brought and called for the disciplinary hearings to be held in public.

It is understood the former spinner plans to attend some stage of the third LV= Insurance Test between England and New Zealand at the invitation of Yorkshire.

Asked if he had received racist letters, Patel told BBC Radio’s Test Match Special: “Phenomenally racist. We have a very small but very vocal group of individuals that do not accept that racism happened at this club.

“I think we have to move beyond that denial. Racism happens in society. It certainly happened at this club.

“Ninety to 95 per cent of members and people I meet on the street and on the train have said thank you for doing what you are doing and have been extremely supportive.

“In any space of life I do have a small but substantial bag of letters that, if I was to take to the police, I think people would be prosecuted.

“We know there is misogyny, discrimination, power imbalances and these things happen. It happened here badly.

“There are some people, for whatever reason, and I am not