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Counties vowed to increase diversity in the wake of the racism scandal but have been accused of ‘sticking to what they know’
For those at the sharp end, trying to make county cricket clubs reflect their local communities, these are challenging times. “Some clubs are clearly not going into the BAME communities and nurturing talent from diverse backgrounds,” says Chevy Green, director of the ACE (African Caribbean Engagement) programme. “They stick to what – and who – they know.”
Despite promises from the counties and the England and Wales Cricket Board that lessons from the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal have been learned, the new year hasn’t started well. At a hearing of the digital, culture, media and sport select committee this week, the chairman of Middlesex, Mike O’Farrell, attempted to explain why his club brought on just a handful of the black, Asian and minority ethnic players that make up 60% of the county’s 130 feeder clubs. O’Farrell, who later apologised, initially blamed the attraction of football and rugby to young people from Afro-Caribbean communities and the lure of education to those from south Asian backgrounds.
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