Yorkshire CCC

Boat's sailed there I'm afraid.

 

I've just finished watching his evidence having had it on catchup.

So many thoughts about the matter. From disgust at what he's had to endure from his teens all the way through his career. That his career has been ended at a very young age. The tragic loss he suffered while having to contend with this. The extent of the racism inherent at every twist and turn. Or worse, the enabling of it by people who should have stood side by side. From team mates, captains, coaches, the YCCC board and admin functions, the PCA and ECB.

But my overriding view is what an incredible young man Azeem is. Unbelievably brave. So so brave. But you can also see he's scared of what he's opening and all he really wants is for everything to be normal for everyone, not just white privately educated people.

You'll likely never see these words. But you should be really proud Azeem. Be proud and brave of what you're doing and let others now, finally, have your back.

 

Azeem did the town, the county, country and the game proud.
Basically what some of us (who've been around all levels of Yorkshire cricket) have known for years are being laid out and many prominent people are now exposed.
I'm disgusted, but relieved by it all. So many reputations will be hammered and rightfully so.
The game is racist and elitist, and if I was a well run local club now I'd be fuming.
The ECB are tying themselves up in knots, Yorkshire CCC have been exposed as an old boys club with white right wing Country club behaviours.
I've seen many mention on here quotas and lack of representation by non white Christian players in sport.
Just look at the England Team since 1980, you'd struggle to put out 2 teams of non white players.
Many were brought up outside of the UK and qualified via British lineage or by pushing through residency.

On the topic raised in relation to black football managers.
If you've played and been abused as a player, why would take a top job and expose yourself to more of the same.
How many white managers fail in their 1st job but keep getting jobs? Black managers don't get afforded these opportunities.

Why did Azeem go back to Yorkshire, simple he wanted to play the game and get paid.
How many black police officers are abused? Most is the answer. Do they quit?
By quitting minorities would be doing the racists job for them.
Those who are questioning this narrative watch a channel 4 documentary called Yorkshire Cop. SY Police's first black officer who policed Swinton. Awful and inspiring.

 

I'd also recommend anyone to watch the small axe series in full. A very hard but necessary watch.

 

To add to my previous comment, I'll be contacting the YCCC hotline this week. I've witnessed many things over the years and its time to finally clear my chest. I've seen so many talented lads get dropped and basically stop playing.

 

Barring the Tory chair who I thought was amazing, his party colleagues questions are times were a bit backhanded in my opinion. Calling photographers vultures a bit strange, Mr Green's questioning sorry question to Azeem was also a strange one. No emotion just why did you go back to play?

 

Please forgive my ignorance. What's this Kevin slur.

Whilst I welcome the enquiry I am Also looking forward to the parliamentary enquiry into the PM's past.

 

Just reminded me of when I started in the Civil Service circa. Jan 2003. In my training group was a guy of Pakistani origin. His first name was Faqir (sp) but insisted we called him Joe. He was called this in his previous job, which was a Police Officer in SY Police. Now Joe liked a night out and drank quite heavily in my opinion. Pints with Vodka and Red Bull chasers. He told me that he’d been kicked out of the Police as a result of Drink driving. From other stories he has told me, I couldn’t help but think that over the years he’d simply been trying to ‘Fit in’ His brother and sister had fell out with him because of his lifestyle and not sticking to his Muslim upbringing. Although Joe seemed a happy- go. - lucky type of guy, to me his care-free persona was just a mask to ‘fit in’ just because he was of Pakistani heritage. He even proudly told a story where had been described of a ‘Mediterranean appearance’ rather than an ‘Asian’ one. Listening to some of Azeem’s story today and hearing their being an acceptance of how you were being described, brought this home even more. Not seen Joe in years, I hope he found the love and happiness he so desperately yearned

 

Kevin was a code name Balance purportedly used for all non white players. Him and Hales were very tight and Hales named his black puppy Kevin.

 

I've read that mate. But can't find the reasoning behind it.
Could it have any link to the most hated man in cricket. (apparently) Kevin Pietersen?

 

The Bumble part of the testimony I found very telling. Muslim lads won't want to pay subs which at the end of the season or during fund nothing more than an ale up.
I personally think that's fair and stance to take, but I know how some folk from older generations would view it negatively. I heard the same many times, including when teams had mid season bbqs and the jokes made about pork and halal. Comments like well "there will be more for us, we'll just buy another bag of salad for them and a 2 litre bottle of rola cola". All very welcoming........but its banter right?

 

While I get why Azeem went back has he'd no other offers from other counties I can't understand why Adil Rashid has stayed at Yorkshire given he's now come out in support of Rafiq and backed up his claims surely Rashid would walk into many counties teams, unless of course all the first class counties are.the same but it's not yet been exposed so there's really no point moving.from one racist organisation to another one.

 

I've not seen how it actually originated or the why's, I suppose only Ballance can answer, why Kevin?

It seems they were perhaps a little unsure in using explicit racist terms, so instead created a codename to badge anyone of non white heritage under one umbrella.

Gary Ballance, **** international cricketer. An even shitter human being.

 

I guess Rashid. Giving up wanting to play county cricket just to concentrate on white ball cricket. And his lack of availability (contracted to England) would answer that one.

 

Azeem did refer to having spoken with players and youngsters from other counties who had experienced similar issues.

I can understand why someone wouldn't move. Particularly if you're on the international scene and away from your club environment more anyway.

Bloody mindedness. A refusal to be tarred as a victim. Or to be seen to let bullying get to you. Feeling many counties are the same so keeping your head down and just doing all they can to earn their living. Not wanting to move from their home and having family and friends further away.

Thats just a handful of reasons I can conjure up without having to think too deeply into it.

 

Yes Rashid has basically been an international and franchise cricketer for about 5 or so years now.

This is probably why.

 

I think Azeem's someone who wouldn't want to move far away from his family or Barnsley. He's clearly proud of being from the town. To move away from your home county is a hard thing. Can you imagine if the same happened to a young lad playing for Barnsley fc. A club you support, love and have dreamed of playing for and then you get hammered because of your race. He's still got love in his heart for the white rose, even after all of the stuff he went through. That's devotion, whether it's misplaced is another question. Our love for our teams is almost religious, how many people of faith still love their organisations even when criminal activity as taken place?

 

In the context of the testimony today it followed reference to a player being nicknamed Steve due to no-one wanting to pronounce his actual name. The interpretation I took was that Kevin was the English name that Ballance chose to use, and applied it to every person of colour, according to Rafiq.

 

Not a great stance from a Zimbabwean.

 

Maybe as well as eradicating racism we could get rid of the absolutely pathetic "macho" environments permeating work and sports environments. The ones that glorify the picking apart your mates at every opportunity, targeting their weaknesses, winding up, trying to get under the skin all in the name of "it's just banter".
It's pathetic. I imagine most of us have experienced it and most of us have learned to successfully deal with it but there are undoubtedly those that don't.
It's that sort of environment that allows racism to sneak in, all as part of the banter and become a norm.
From experience it's mostly a male thing and maybe it's time we all grew the f88k up a bit.