England captain Eoin Morgan said the fight against racism in cricket is "bigger than any of our careers or any trophies" after Azeem Rafiq's allegations of racism hit the headlines in the United Kingdom.
The Pakistan-born England off-spinner Rafiq made a number of allegations about his time at Yorkshire, as well as accusing the club of failing to deal adequately with allegations of racism when he played for the club. Rafiq also claimed he was subject to racist abuse, bullying, and harassment at the club.
Notably, an independent report, commissioned by Yorkshire, found that Rafiq had been subject to "racial harassment and bullying", after which, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has now suspended international matches at their Headingley ground in Leeds, saying the club's handling of the Azeem case was "wholly unacceptable" and the matter was "abhorrent".
Following the incident, Yorkshire Chairman Roger Hutton resigned with immediate effect and "unreservedly apologized" for the club's handling of Rafiq's racism allegations, while criticizing the ECB and the club's executives for a lack of "care and contrition" in the matter.
Read Also: Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan backs Azeem Rafiq, says he heard racist comments from Michael Vaughan
Reacting to the Rafiq affair, Morgan hailed the ECB’s move to ban international matches in Leeds and said it shows how serious they are about dealing with issues regarding racism and discrimination while insisting that bringing "significant change" would be "bigger than any of the trophies that they win".
The England team has been kneeling as part of their ongoing anti-racism and equality commitment in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021, and Morgan stated that they are "very serious" about bringing "meaningful change" to the issue and will continue to send that strong message.
Morgan told a news conference in the UAE: “In matters of an extreme or serious nature like these are, they need to be met head-on, and for us as a team, that’s exactly what we want to see. We are very serious about it. We firmly believe that there is no place in our sport for any type of discrimination, and I think the actions of the ECB board to Yorkshire have indicated how serious they are about dealing with issues like this… obviously those actions speak louder than words.”
He continued, “There is only so much we can do as a team. I think having had a lot of chats with the team, being a part of the significant change [is something] that we feel will lead to something that will be bigger than any of our careers, or any of the trophies that we win. We are making good ground towards change that we want to be implemented.
Outside of that, we are actually limited to what we can achieve. Continuing to give that strong message, particularly in our moment of unity, and opportunities to speak to you guys [the media], and I suppose ultimately to be ourselves. In teams, you have to be yourself. It should feel a little bit like being at home. Obviously, it won't feel like being at home, being around your family, but it should be relaxed, and give you that freedom to feel comfortable in your own skin.”
Morgan also insisted that he is not concerned that Rashid's performance at the T20 World Cup 2021 will be hampered by the latest controversy back home.
He concluded, “Adil is one of our players that on a normal scheme of things don’t require a lot of support. There's no indication that anything out of the ordinary is happening. But certainly, he's a guy that is very close with Azeem Rafiq having grown up at Yorkshire, but he's traveling okay at the moment.”
Noteworthy, former England and Yorkshire captain Michael Vaughan also revealed that he was also part of the investigation into Rafiq's allegations at the club.
However, Vaughan has made it clear that he never said anything like that to Rafiq or any other player including Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad, and Rana Naved during his time in the country from 1991 to 2009.
(With ESPNCricinfo/AFP Inputs)
