Rafiq: Middlesex chair comments confirm endemic racism problem

Azeem Rafiq says Middlesex chair Mark O’Farrell’s comments around the lack of diversity among young people in cricket confirms an “endemic problem” the sport has with racism.

Rafiq's allegations of racial harassment and bullying during his two spells at Yorkshire between 2008 and 2018 have resulted in the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee investigating the governance of the sport.

The committee, which has previously warned of funding cuts if cricket fails to "clean up its act", held a meeting on Tuesday, during which O'Farrell attempted to defend his county's record on diversity and inclusion.

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

"And in terms of the South Asian community, there is a moment where we're finding that they do not want necessarily to commit the same time that is necessary to go the next step because they prefer, not always saying they do it, they sometimes prefer to go into other educational fields and then cricket becomes secondary, and part of that is because it's a rather more time-consuming sport than some others."

During the hearing, which also saw the chairs of Yorkshire, Hampshire and Glamorgan called to give evidence. Rafiq reacted on social media.

"Painful listen and just shows how far removed from reality these people are," Rafiq wrote.

"Overachieving? Am I hearing this?

"This has just confirmed what a endemic problem the game has. I actually can't believe what I am listening to."

Also reacting to the hearing on Twitter, former England cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent was critical of O'Farrell's comments.

"Honestly these outdated views in the game are exactly why we are in this position," Sky Sports