Darren Lehmann's appointment as chief coach of Northern Superchargers has come under scrutiny in wake of Azeem Rafiq's revelations that he had faced "institutional racism" at Yorkshire.

In October 2019, Lehmann was appointed as the head coach of Superchargers in England’s new franchise tournament – The Hundred, which couldn’t be held this year due to COVID-19 pandemic.

It is not the first time that Lehmann has grabbed the headlines for such reasons. In 2003, he was banned for five ODIs after using racially abusive language following his dismissal in a game against Sri Lanka.

And if found guilty in the investigation, Lehmann, who was a successful overseas player for Yorkshire, might have to pay a bigger price this time around.

“Either way, it seems Yorkshire are going to be under close scrutiny from the ECB to ensure the investigation they announced on Thursday is thorough. So concerned was Tom Harrison, the ECB's chief executive, by Rafiq's story, he phoned him on Wednesday night. Among other things, he is understood to have promised to look into the issue personally and expressed his sympathy and concern,” a report in ESPNcricinfo stated.

The ECB's interference in this matter led to a response from Yorkshire as the English county club issues a statement on Thursday afternoon, promising a "formal investigation into the specific allegations made by Azeem Rafiq and a wider review of [the club's] policies and culture."

Recently, Rafiq claimed that he wasn't treated well at his former club and was always considered an outsider. As a result, he had lost faith in humanity and even contemplated suicide.

Meanwhile, the ECB have confirmed they will "follow… closely" the Yorkshire probe and "consider any further… steps which may be appropriate."

(Inputs from ESPNcricinfo)