More so than any other sport, cricket embraces multiculturalism.
We applauded Viv Richards fearless and un-helmeted batting.
We were in awe of Sachin Tendulkar’s mastery.
We held our breaths when Michael Holding started his bowling runup. We didn’t care about their complexion, their beliefs or what they ate.
In 2020, Azeem Rafiq accused Yorkshire County Cricket Club of institutional racism. He noted that the racism reached a point where he considered committing suicide. Yorkshire Cricket arranged an independent review of the complaint but initially did not disclose the content.
After pressure from the English Cricket Board some findings were published and after further pressure from UK members of parliament, a more detailed summary was released. Due to legal advice, Yorkshire Cricket have resisted releasing the full report to date.
As a teenager growing up in the UK, I loved watching Viv Richards and Ian Botham play together for Somerset. Theirs was a friendship that transcended all boundaries; skin colour wouldn’t have entered either man’s mind or, at the time, mine.
In Botham’s 1994 autobiography he notes that there was a small element of racist Yorkshire supporters who followed the team across their matches. Though the Yorkshire committee were most likely aware of this, they chose to do nothing.
After a particularly vocal Yorkshire-Somerset match, where these supporters spewed disgusting comments, standing up for his beliefs, Botham chose to speak out at the post match press conference. One, unnamed, Yorkshire committee member, instead of backing Botham, chose to call him “out of order” and had to be subdued by others to avoid further fallout.
In November 2019 Jofra Archer was the subject of abuse while playing for England in New Zealand and in January 2021 Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah were similarly targeted during the Australia-India Sydney Test. In both cases, there has been no naming and shaming of the perpetrators.
(Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
A couple of years ago, my 12-year-old son Sam tried out for a nearby district cricket team. He thought he had done well enough to get into the squad and so very disappointed not to be selected. Due to Covid restrictions in place, I was unable to view the trials, so solicited feedback for Sam through a call to the Junior Co-ordinator.
The feedback was considered and fair but at one point, the Co-ordinator referred to my son as a “darkie”. I was shocked.
Multiple thoughts went through my head: did he really just say that? Should I call him out on it? If I do call him out, will this jeopardise the chances of my son ever getting into the team? With this apprehension the moment passed, the conversation moved on and the call ended.
I had taken the cowardly option, failing to voice my appalled emotions. Sam now plays for a different district team.
In a recent BBC program, Michael Holding said, “It is no longer good enough to say, ‘I am fine, I am not racist’. You have now got to be anti-racist. You have got to call out the racists and you have got to embarrass the racists.”
This is not an easy ask and is even harder when you know the person. Whilst talking to one of my neighbours, he chose to regale me with a story about a triathlon he did ten years ago. One of the competitors, was wearing a patka, a head covering used by Sikh males when it’s not possible to wear a turban.
The neighbour shouted to him, asking him if he was “hiding his lunch under there”. The Sikh competitor laughed, the race progressed. I advised the neighbour that while I was sure he was not trying to cause offence – I was anything but sure of this – Sikhs consider hair to be sacred.
They don’t cut it and they use patkas or turbans to protect their hair. I’m hoping that my conversation was educational, and my neighbour might be more considerate, more caution with his “wit” and perhaps more understanding of religious and cultural practices. I’d take any one of those three as an improvement.
Whether you are watching cricket or otherwise and you see, hear, or feel racism, don’t ignore it. Try to inform, to educate or to embarrass. As Holding said, “You need good people to stop being silent.”
Azeem is on the field, playing with Viv, Sachin and Michael. Let us marvel at their skills and embrace their diversity. For I am Azeem, you are Azeem, we are Azeem, and, yes, we all love this game.
The PTA has disbanded
Guest
I think the South Engfrica barbs are not actually directed at the specific players, but some pretty good natured banter at the English being so laughably snot at cricket they needed to import from the colonies, and Australians were looking to make light of an embarrassing 2010-11 home series loss in the Ashes. I don't think anyone would have held any personal animosity towards Strauss, KP, Trott and Prior simply because they were South African.
The PTA has disbanded
Guest
Welcome back Where did you disappear to?
Ian
Roar Rookie
Well said Paul D....Isn't it sad that so few can, and do, spoil it for everyone. I've loved cricket with a passion for over 50 years. I like watching it, listening to it, reading about it and most of all, talking about it. I found that after 4 seasons of umpiring in Queensland Grade Cricket, I started hating the game. In the lower grades, the standard of behaviour was beyond feral. I found it totally bizarre that the worst players were the ones with the biggest mouths. As you say, we received zero help from the people allegedly running the game. I vividly remember telling one old, overweight, former supposed champion of the game ( this was in 3rd Grade ) to stop using a racist phrase to a young Sri Lanka player.I was ignored, but when old mate come out to bat, the young Lankan called him a fat waste of space ( or words to that effect! ) our man, literally with tears in his eyes demanded I put him on report! You honestly couldn't make it up. I pulled the pin shortly afterwards and still enjoy the game...but my love for it has been sadly diminished with the player standards of behaviour ever since.
Lloyd
Roar Rookie
Thanks for your feedback Targa. There's an ABC article which reports that it was an Auckland man that was the guilty party in the Archer incident: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-14/cricket-fan-who-abused-jofra-archer-banned-for-two-years/11865518 It doesn't advise who he supported, though I guess we know it was not Archer!
Paul D
Roar Guru
Great article from the author - I am of the firm belief that the reason you see absolutely stuff all racial diversity in high level cricket, that it doesn't represent anything approaching demographics in wider society, is because of the blatant racism that is dumped on every subcontinential or asian player in lower level cricket. Umpired for over a decade, some in warehouse, some basic 4th grade stuff but all LastManStands since about 2014 (mainly because grade cricket/warehouse cricket was an appalling disgusting cesspit of poor player behaviour and terrible organisation) - at least there in social cricket there are teams of all indian/pakistani players and it's all very acceptable and above board. What got me to quit umpiring outside of LMS back in the day - I got rapped on the knuckles after a game for starting an argument with a player over the fact he kept using the word curries talking loudly in 3rd person about the batsmen at the crease - they didn't complain, but I rebuked him and said if he kept using that term I was going to bin him 5 runs every time I heard it. Same old story as always - I'd been there a few weeks, he'd been playing forever, and apparently QCA doesn't want umpires rocking the boat and actually calling out racism from crusty old reconstructed bigots - they said unless the players complained I shouldn't have done anything. I told them if that was their approach they could get stuffed and never umpired for them again. Much happier. LMS is life.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Yeah, with the Warehouse umpires it’s the attitude that Indian and Pakistani players are trouble makers, when in reality the majority are very well mannered and personable, and also for every poorly behaved Indian or Pakistani player there are just as many, per head of capita among players, poorly behaved Anglo-Caucasian players. _________________ Also, a Pakistani or Indian player misbehaves badly enough to be reported we get urged to report him, but when Caucasian players play up, someone high up in the umpiring association may well pressure you to just let it slide.
Ian
Roar Rookie
When I started umpiring with the QCA I started off in 4th Grade and thoroughly enjoyed it, despite most of my colleagues being elderly, seen it all, heard it all, drunk it all know alls. The first game of my second season, my partner was a young Indian fellow, who admitted, after persistent questions from me that he had umpired first class cricket back in India. In that game he was absolutely outstanding. Both captains gave him top marks at the end of game review ( they didn't give me them! ) and I emailed the head of umpires at the QCA saying how good he'd been and he was really one to watch. He really was outstanding. At the end of that season, I was umpiring 2nd Grade ( way above my abilities ) and my Indian friend had umpired 11 4th Grade games in a row. He was also never given Sunday games, I got one nearly every week. The next season, I noticed he wasn't there anymore and that he'd given it away. A year later I bumped into him in the street and we had a cup of coffee together. He told me that after his first season, they ( the old QCA umpiring mafia ) told him he wasn't up to standard and he'd never progress past 4th Grade. So he gave it away. This young man should and could have been umpiring First Class cricket, he was that good but instead he was lost to the game. To my eternal discredit and shame, instead of me resigning in disgust, I shook his hand, wished him well and umpired for another season. One of my favourite sayings ( and I'm paraphrasing slightly ) is...All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing......I did nothing.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Well said Lloyd. Very sorry to hear about the treatment of your son. Sounds like cricket still has a way to go at various levels. It would be good to think cricket was the most multicultural sport but not sure it’s true. Certainly it has plus of the big nations being spread across most continents with different ethnic groups, and no longer dominated by the white nations as it was 40/50 years ago. But still problems keep popping up. So more work needed as you say.
Lukestar
Roar Rookie
It's a shame. If I were to name my favourite all time first 11 , it would be almost 50/50. BTW no reference to Frank Zappa. Even though he was a legend. Cheers Lukestar.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
In Warehouse cricket in Brisbane where I umpire, the attitude of a few of the older umpires towards Indian and Pakistani expat players leaves a lot to be desired.
Tony
Roar Guru
Great first article Lloyd. Welcome to the jungle. "I'm not racist..... but". How often do we hear that. If you see racism, or worse, if you experience it, you have to call it out.
Keith Griffen
Guest
Great article. Ending casual racism when visiting teams have players from other countries representing a different country also needs to be addressed. KP and Strauss get alot of flak because they play for England. But players like Wagner (fastest left hand bowler to 200 test wickets) , keppler wessels, and even half of the nz world test championship winning team do not? ( Wagner, de grondhomme, Watling, Conway etc) , as NZ is more favoured than England?
Lukestar
Roar Rookie
Well done with your 1st article on a very difficult topic. As Paul stated, doubt it will generate much discussion but every journey starts with the first step. Cheers Lukestar :thumbup: :cricket:
Paul
Roar Guru
I don't think I've seen a more difficult topic covered so well in a first Roar article. Thanks for raising this issue, though I suspect you're not likely to generate a lot of conversation. I'm very sure though, you will generate a lot of thoughts and if those thoughts trend in the direction you're suggesting, ie being pro-active when racism and cricket intersect, then this piece has served it's purpose well.
Targa
Roar Rookie
Racism is a terrible thing and it is awful that it is in cricket. Please note it was English 'fans' who racially abused Jofra - not Kiwis.