Ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan has categorically denied the racism allegations labelled against him by former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq, whose account was corroborated by current England leg-spinner Adil Rashid on Monday (November 15).

Rafiq had claimed that he faced “institutional racism” during his stint at the Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) and Vaughan was racist towards him and other Asian Yorkshire team-mates.

As per Rafiq, Vaughan had told him and two other Asian players that there are "too many of you lot, we need to do something about it" before a match in 2009.

See Also: BBC removes Michael Vaughan from radio show after racism allegations

Earlier this month, Vaughan, in his column for The Telegraph, wrote: “I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words. I have nothing to hide. The ‘you lot’ comment never happened. I will fight to the end to prove I am not that person.”

However, Vaughan’s trouble intensified on Monday as Rashid issued a statement via The Cricketer website, backing Rafiq's claims.

"I wanted to concentrate as much as possible on my cricket and to avoid distractions to the detriment of the team but I can confirm Azeem Rafiq's recollection of Michael Vaughan's comments to a group of us Asian players," he said.

After Adil Rashid’s remark, Vaughan reiterated his denial in a strongly worded statement, saying it was the "worst thing" he had experienced.

"Anyone who has viewed the Sky footage of Yorkshire's pre-match huddle at the game in question in June 2009, and the interaction between the players, would find it hard to reconcile those scenes with the version of events that has been presented," he said.

"I remember the match clearly because it was the first time in Yorkshire's history that four players of Asian heritage had been selected in the same team.

"It was an important milestone for the county and it was also a moment of pride for me personally."

Vaughan further said he had never been accused of anything "remotely similar" in his three-decade long career as a player and commentator.

"To be confronted with this allegation 11 years after it was supposed to have happened is the worst thing I have ever experienced," he said.

"It is extremely upsetting that this completely false accusation has been made against me by a former teammate, apparently supported by two other players."

Before Adil Rashid, former Pakistan pacer Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who was also part of the Yorkshire in 2009, had supported Rafiq’s racism charges against Vaughan.

Meanwhile, BBC has removed Michael Vaughan from the Radio 5 Tuffers and Vaughan show after the racism allegations.

(With AFP inputs)