LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday updated its 12-point action plan to tackle racism and discrimination, including details on a review of “dressing room culture” and a standardised approach to whistleblowing.
The review comes as part of an action plan announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board in November last year following allegations by former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq and other players.
The ECB’s review of dressing-room culture will be led by Clare Connor and Ashley Giles, England’s managing directors of women’s and men’s cricket, along with the First Class counties, the Professional Cricketers Association and external experts.
“The review will commence in February and run across the 2022 season (when dressing rooms are active) with the final report due in September,” the ECB said in a statement.
It added that an independently operated whistleblowing system with standardised procedures for investigations into complaints will be set up by the end of February and that a new anti-discrimination unit will begin operating in May.
“Work is continuing to define the resources and capabilities required by the ECB’s new anti-discrimination unit,” ECB said, adding, “The unit will work with the professional game to tackle discrimination while also providing ongoing guidance across cricket.”
The cricket board also said it was working with football anti-discriminatory body Kick It Out to build a more “inclusive cricketing environment”.
As part of evidence given to a Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee in November, former Yorkshire spinner Rafiq said the English game is “institutionally racist”. He also alleged that the term ‘Kevin’ was once used in the England dressing room to describe non-white people.
The ECB stripped Yorkshire of the right to host England matchesin November over the club’s handling of the allegations made by Rafiq. Yorkshire chairman Lord Patel has said he is “very confident” the ban will be lifted by this summer and has warned the club faces a “huge financial crisis” if it is not.
