The article below contains subject matter that readers may find offensive and distressing; Outcomes from the Cricket Discipline Commission hearing into allegations of racism at Yorkshire are expected on Friday, but any sanctions will not be decided until a later date
Yorkshire’s managing director of cricket Darren Gough says the club is “in a much better place” as it prepares for the outcome of a Cricket Discipline Commission hearing into allegations of racism on Friday.
Charges were brought forward by the England and Wales Cricket Board against Yorkshire and seven ex-players – including ex-England and Yorkshire captain Michael Vaughan – following on from allegations made by former bowler Azeem Rafiq.
Yorkshire have admitted to four charges, including a failure to address systemic use of racist and/or discriminatory language at the club over a prolonged period.
Decisions are expected to be published on the ECB website at 10.30am on Friday, according to the PA news agency, but any sanctions will not be decided until a later date. Individuals could be fined, banned from coaching and/or banned from cricket grounds, if found guilty, while Yorkshire could face a fine or a points deduction in the County Championship.
Gough, who was appointed as MD of cricket at Yorkshire in December 2021 in the wake of the allegations, has told Sky Sports News that he wants the county to be at the forefront of change under his leadership and “make it the most diverse and inclusive cricket club in the land”.
“It’s very hard for me to comment on the process, or the CDC, and speculate what they’re going to do,” Gough said. “But the reason I took this job was to try and help rebuild Yorkshire.
“There were obviously mistakes made along the line. I think that’s obvious to everyone.
“We now want to be at the forefront of change and make sure those things don’t happen again, within cricket and life in general.
“We’ve put a lot of things in place, we’ve done a lot of hard work this winter.
“Obviously there’s serious stuff going on in the background. What I will say is, and I think it’s important to say, the players and staff are in a much better place for whatever comes Yorkshire’s way.”
Vaughan’s life and livelihood at stake, says lawyer
As well as the club itself, Vaughan and five other individuals charged – Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, Richard Pyrah and John Blain – will learn their fate on Friday.
Vaughan was the only individual charged who appeared in person at the CDC hearing held in public across four days earlier this month.
The five other individuals had indicated prior to the hearing that they would not participate, with the charges against them heard in their absence.
A seventh individual, Gary Balance, was also charged, with the former Yorkshire player having admitted to using racist and/or discriminatory language.
Sky Sports’ James Cole summarises the closing submissions at the Cricket Discipline Commission hearing where former England captain Michael Vaughan is charged with bringing the game into disrepute after alleged racist comments
Vaughan is alleged to have told a group of Yorkshire team-mates of Asian ethnicity there were “too many of you lot” before a T20 match in 2009, a charge he categorically denies.
Vaughan’s lawyer, Christopher Stoner KC, told the panel in closing submissions on March 7 that the shape of his client’s “life and livelihood” were at stake in this case.
Since the charges were brought, Vaughan lost roles as a broadcaster and revealed at the hearing in London that his health and wellbeing had suffered.