Yorkshire County cricket club has been suspended from hosting international cricket matches for ‘unacceptable’ handling of a racism case involving Azeem Rafiq, the ECB announced in a press release. This comes hours after former England batsman Gary Ballance admitted that he used a racial slur towards Rafiq and that he regrets doing so.

“It is clear to the Board that YCCC’s handling of the issues raised by Azeem Rafiq is wholly unacceptable and is causing serious damage to the reputation of the game. The ECB find this matter abhorrent and against the spirit of cricket and its values,” ECB wrote in its press release. 

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Yorkshire were due to host Test matches in England’s 2022-23 home season. The ECB said that the club will be stripped of that right until “it has clearly demonstrated that it can meet the standards expected of an international venue, ECB member and first-class county”.

In a statement published on the Yorkshire website, Ballance said, “It has been reported that I used a racial slur and, as I told the independent enquiry, I accept that I did so and I regret doing so. I do not wish to discredit Rafa by repeating the words and statements that he made about me and others but I have to be clear that this was a situation where best friends said offensive things to each other which, outside of that context, would be considered wholly inappropriate.”

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“I regret that these exchanges took place but at no time did I believe or understand that it had caused Rafa distress. If I had believed that then I would have stopped immediately. He was my best mate in cricket and I cared deeply for him. To my knowledge, it has never been alleged that I reduced Rafa to tears.”

The ECB agreed that sanctions including, but not limited to, financial and future major match allocations may be considered at the conclusion of our investigations. 

Headingly, a Yorkshire cricket ground, will also be removed as a host venue for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, and all other major matchdays.