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Cricket PlayersMichael Vaughan accused of racism by Azeem Raifq, ‘hit by a brick’ former England captain denies allegation
Vaughan was accused of saying "[there are] too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” to Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naveed, which the former England captain denied.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan revealed he too was accused of racism by former Yorkshire and England U19 cricketer Azeem Rafiq along with England batter Gary Ballance. Vaughan, for his part, categorically denied the accusations. Taking cognizance of the matter, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) late on Thursday banned Yorkshire from hosting international and major matches till pending inquiry and also announced that Balance, who last played for England in 2017, won't be considered for selection as of now. The ECB announcement, however, had no mentions of Vaughan being named in the Rafiq.
It was the former England captain who in his column to the Daily Telegraph revealed that in Rafiq had accused him using racial words back in 2009. Vaughan
Vaughan was accused of saying "[there are] too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” to Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naveed during a 2009 game against Nottinghamshire.
Also Read | Azeem Rafiq reacts after ECB bans Yorkshire from hosting international matches over racism row
"The night before I was due to give evidence, out of the blue, I was hit with the news that Rafiq was alleging that in 2009, when I was still a player and before a Yorkshire match against Nottinghamshire, I had said to Rafiq and two other Asian players as we walked onto the field together that there are "too many of you lot, we need to do something about it," Vaughan wrote in his column in the Telegraph.
The former England captain said the allegations has hit him very hard but he also denied saying of that sorts.
"This hit me very hard. It was like being struck over the head with a brick. I have been involved in cricket for 30 years and never once been accused of any remotely similar incident or disciplinary offence as a player or commentator. That the allegation came completely out of the blue and more than a decade after it was alleged to have happened made it all the more difficult to process," he noted.
"I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words. I responded to the panel by saying I was gobsmacked and that my professional legal advice was that I could not appear before a panel having had just a few hours' notice of such serious claims made against me," the captain of England's 2005 Ashes-winning team pointed.
Vaughan said he was asked to speak to during the inquiry a couple of nights ago about the incident that allegedly took place 11 years ago.
"It was 11 years after the alleged event. Nothing at all was raised or said at the time of the game in question. It was not mentioned at the time or at any stage over the next 11 years until the night before I was asked to speak to the inquiry.
"I have nothing to hide. The 'you lot' comment never happened. Anyone trying to recollect words said 10 years ago will be fallible but I am adamant those words were not used. If Rafiq believes something was said at the time to upset him then that is what he believes. It is difficult to comment on that except to say it hurts me hugely to think I potentially affected someone. I take it as the most serious allegation ever put in front of me and I will fight to the end to prove I am not that person," he added.
Rafiq, a player of Pakistani descent and a former captain of the England Under-19s, said last year he was made to feel like an outsider at Yorkshire and contemplated taking his own life.
Vaughan added that he was also accused of preferring Kane Williamson over Rafiq, which the former right-hander said was purely because of cricketing reasons.
"I absolutely deny that I ever said what he claims and that I recommended Kane Williamson for anything other than purely cricketing reasons," Vaughan wrote. "But having heard what has come out in the last few days, I can see how his perspective, and his experience was clearly very different to how I saw things at Yorkshire at that time."
