Azeem Rafiq, a Pakistan-born Englishman, has thrown his country’s cricket establishment into turmoil by revealing in detail how he experienced racial harassment and bullying during a short-lived career. Tragic as his own professional journey has ended up becoming, it is possible that his powerful testimony on Tuesday to a British parliamentary select committee will bring about much-needed change in cricketing cultures not just in England but elsewhere in the world. That can only be a good thing.
In his testimony, Rafiq spoke eloquently about his struggles as a person of colour in a cricket community dominated by white men. His revelations ranged from being repeatedly called a “P***”, a derogatory term used in Britain to describe people of Pakistani heritage, to being forced to drink alcohol as a teenager by those who were aware of his Islamic faith. He battled back tears when he spoke about having received little support from the management of the Yorkshire County Club, where he was a longtime player, after his wife gave birth to a stillborn baby in 2017; thereby suggesting that there would have been more sympathy and support had he been white.
Rafiq played for Yorkshire, in England’s premier domestic cricket circuit, over two stints that spanned almost a decade. After securing a release from his contract with the club in 2018, he now runs a fish and chips shop in the northern English town of Barnsley. He is only 31 years old, so it’s not unreasonable to assume he could have played at the elite level for a few more years.
“Do I believe I lost my career to racism? Yes, I do,” he told the committee.
The names of several high-profile cricketers, including those who either played or continue to play for the England national team, have emerged in Rafiq’s testimony. One such name is that of former England and Yorkshire captain Michael Vaughan, who in 2009 allegedly told a group of teammates of Asian descent that there were too many of them in the county side. Vaughan, now a commentator and writer, denies the allegation.
Rafiq also expressed disappointment about Joe Root, the current England captain who, like Vaughan during his playing days, is part of the Yorkshire county team. Rafiq described Root as a “good man” who would, nonetheless, have seen and heard other teammates making racist remarks yet did nothing about it. For his part, Root has denied ever witnessing a racist incident while playing for Yorkshire.
Some might say Root is being disingenuous. But even if one were to assume this to be the case, it wouldn’t be surprising if cricketers would remain silent, especially when players close to them are in the line of fire. Cricket, like any other team sport, is built around “mate-ship” and players have one another’s back. And yet, of course, if Root was indeed protecting his mates, that would be disappointing for all those who have otherwise been impressed with his ambassadorial role as the national team captain.
That only makes Rafiq’s testimony and the media interviews he has given over the past few months even more courageous. He is risking life and limb – he is known to have received threats from unknown sources during this period – for bringing to light a problem that continues to infest the game all over the world.
Darren Sammy is a case in point. Last year, the World Cup-winning captain from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia was angry and disappointed upon discovering that a nickname given to him by his teammates in the annual Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise competition was in fact a derogatory term. Some of his Indian teammates used to call him “kalu” – meaning "black" – to his face, even describing it as a term of endearment, even though it isn’t. Sadly, Sammy is not the first player to have been called “kalu” and he's unlikely to be the last.
The question to ask, then, is while one must not condone racism or bullying, how much of these racial slurs and bullying tendencies stems from a lack of understanding or knowledge of foreign cultures. It's painfully apparent that some cricketers, particularly the younger ones, genuinely don't know that what they consider to be banter, can be outright racist for someone from a different cultural context.
This is where team managements bear a great deal of responsibility. It’s all well for cricket's custodians and tournament organisers to publish their codes of conduct on racism, which they do. In fact, it has become fashionable for organisers to announce a “zero tolerance” towards racism. But what does zero tolerance really mean? Can one assume that all players, whatever their backgrounds, will know what actions, gestures, remarks or words are considered racist and what aren't? There has to be a more concerted effort to educate up and coming players about what's acceptable and what isn't.
The English county championship has, for decades, been a wonderful platform for cricketers from across the globe to make a name for themselves. But for non-white players to complain about racism – even to this day – can only mean that cultural awareness continues to lack at the ground level and, therefore, something needs to be done to tackle it. For any club, building a team can no longer be just about winning games and trophies; it also has to be about developing genuine kinship, which, among other things, has to involve breaking down cultural barriers between players from different backgrounds.
The same needs to apply to the IPL, which has been around for just 13 years, but is showcased as a 21st-century cricket competition that is big on diversity. Teams need to do more than just talk the talk about stamping out racism.
As for Rafiq, his career is undoubtedly over. But if his painful testimony can help begin the process of tackling racist attitudes and other forms of bigotry in both domestic and international cricket, it will be his most significant contribution to the game – far more impactful, perhaps, than his on-field performances were for Yorkshire.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
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At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
The five pillars of Islam
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Zayed Sustainability Prize
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
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The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
More coverage from the Future Forum
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures
Tuesday:
Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)
Second legs:
October 23
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score)
Porto (0) v Liverpool (2), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
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Scores
Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool
Arsenal 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Burnley 1-0 Brighton
Manchester United 4-1 Fulham
West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace
Saturday fixtures:
Chelsea v Manchester City, 9.30pm (UAE)
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur, 11.45pm (UAE)
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 715bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,289,376
On sale: now
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
- 1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
- 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
- 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
- 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
- UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
- Zimbabwe: Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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