Yorkshire to get financial lifeline with Headingley set to host England fixtures

01/25/2022

Yorkshire are poised to get a huge financial boost with Headingley set to host international fixtures once again after a ban.

The England and Wales Cricket Board removed the ground as a venue for England matches last year in the wake of the racism row which has engulfed first-class cricket.

It was one of the punishments the ECB levied upon the club, as it also gave a list of demands in terms of improvements it wanted to see before those sanctions are lifted.

Lord Patel, who took over as chairman at Yorkshire after his predecessor Roger Hutton resigned in the wake of the scandal, has bemoaned the international ban as the club is "financially not viable" without the matches.

He shared some positive news on that front, though, as he appeared at a Department of Digital, Culture Media and Sport committee on Tuesday.

Patel said the club is now meeting the list of 10 demands set by the ECB, adding that he will be meeting with the body on February 1 to prove it.

The hearing is the first since the one in November which saw Azeem Rafiq detail the racist bullying and abuse he suffered across two spells as a player at Yorkshire.

Patel has since sacked 16 staff members including the entire coaching staff in the wake of the revelations – a decision he was forced to defend on Tuesday.

Julian Knight, chair of the committee, told the Yorkshire chair that he "may have got rid of people who frankly had little or no involvement in any allegations".

Patel responded to that statement by claiming: "Everyone at the club feels their careers have been blighted."

He went on to say the club "fundamentally feels differently" since he took over as chairman two months ago.

The hearing was blighted by more scandal, though, as Middlesex chief Mike O'Farrell came under fire for "outdated" racial stereotypes he repeated while giving evidence.

O'Farrell made claims that Asian people are more interested in education than sport, and that black people prefer football over cricket.

Rafiq took to social media to say he could not believe what he was hearing, as black former England cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent added: "Honestly these outdated views in the game are exactly why we are in this position."

After the backlash, O'Farrell released a statement through Middlesex in which he apologised for "the misunderstanding that my comments made at this morning’s DCMS Select Committee hearing have evidently caused".

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