Yorkshire racism hearing reached one clear verdict: from now on there is no excuse

A fter charges against him of bringing the game into disrepute were dismissed on Friday, Michael Vaughan said in what was generally a well-judged statement that “there are no winners in this process”. To say that you can only be white, and never have experienced the kind of discrimination that made the process necessary.

So let’s be clear: the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission vindicated Azeem Rafiq. Having experienced racism at Yorkshire, having found the proper channels blocked when he tried to act, having had his life turned upside down after being forced to go public, he will have wanted, and deserves, for that to be recognised. The panel’s verdict absolutely did establish winners and losers, which is what makes this moment so powerful.

It was clearly a difficult hearing. When two people say they have different recollections of a conversation that took place many years ago, facts become very hard to establish. I’m not convinced of the merit of repeating the process with other historical allegations, and for me the conclusion has got to be: we draw a line now and say, from this moment there is no excuse.

What has happened since has turned his life upside down, and having gone through that process he will have wanted to feel vindicated. Even if the the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) did not conclude that every charge was proven, undoubtedly he was.

But this was clearly a difficult hearing. When two people say they have different recollections of a conversation that took place many years ago, facts become very hard to establish. I’m not convinced of the merit of repeating the process with other historical allegations, and for me the conclusion has got to be that we draw a line now and say: from this moment