‘The frustration is clear’: Yorkshire start season under a cloud once more

W ith a week before the start of the Championship season, window-cleaners with long-armed squeegees were scrubbing Headingley’s pavilion, but it has proved far more difficult for Yorkshire to emerge from the grubby haze left by Azeem Rafiq’s allegations and their aftermath.

Eighteen months after the club published a summary of the report into Rafiq’s claims, on the day of the cancelled Old Trafford Test against India, the process is still in limbo. The Cricket Disciplinary Commission are expected to give their verdict on Friday – Yorkshire have pleaded guilty on four counts, including a failure to address systemic use of racist and/or discriminatory language over a prolonged period – but the announcement of any sanctions is not expected until later.

This leaves Yorkshire starting the second season in a row with the threat of a hefty points deduction hanging over their heads – after a disappointing 2022 season that ended with final-day relegation to Division Two when an inspired Liam Norwell bowled Warwickshire to victory against Hampshire. But with the sun shining on a lush Headingley, the director of cricket, Darren Gough, was phlegmatic about new Yorkshire taking a hit on behalf of old Yorkshire.

“It’s hard to speculate what they [the CDC] are going to say,” he said. “I think the frustration is clear to see, as we are going into another season. I just hope we’re not here next year and saying that we are waiting for our brief.

“I don’t think things will fall apart [if we get a points deduction] because we’ve put things in place. We’ve done a lot of work and the club is in a better position. We were all disappointed last year that we were relegated, nobody more than me. I was absolutely distraught.

“We put a lot of