Racism claims against ex-England captain Vaughan ‘not proved’

LONDON: Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan has been cleared “on the balance of probabilities” of using racist language before a Yorkshire match in 2009. The 2005 Ashes-winning captain was alleged to have used the term “you lot” when referring to a group of four Yorkshire team-mates of South Asian ethnicity, including Pakistan-born Azeem Rafiq.

In a report released on Friday, the Cricket Discipline Commission said it was “not satisfied on the balance of probabilities” that Vaughan had used the alleged words. It pointed out “significant inconsistencies” in how the two key witnesses — Rafiq and England bowler Adil Rashid — had recalled the wording that Vaughan allegedly used.

But it added that its findings “do not in any way undermine the wider assertions” made by Rafiq, who told lawmakers in November 2021 that English cricket was “institutionally racist.” In its concluding remarks the CDC report said: “This is not a case which necessitated a conclusion from the panel that anyone has lied or acted out of malice. “Far from it.

The panel had to consider whether the case as presented to it by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board), in light of all the evidence, was sufficiently accurate and reliable, on the balance of probabilities, to rule out mistake. It was not.” Vaughan, who appeared in person at a CDC hearing earlier this month to answer the charges brought by the ECB, said the process had taken a “toll” on him and his family and it had been “upsetting to hear about Rafiq’s experiences.