Yorkshire WILL be competing in Division One of the CC next season

Disgraced Yorkshire WILL compete in Division One of the County Championship next season after club avoided relegation for their mishandling of the Azeem Rafiq racism affair

  • Sportsmail revealed English cricket’s most decorated club would avoid the drop
  • The ECB’s Neil Snowball advised fans going to games to ‘plan accordingly’
  • It is hoped that the Cricket Discipline Commission investigation into the Azeem Rafiq affair will be concluded in advance of the April 7 season start date 

Yorkshire supporters have been told to expect their team to be participating in Division One of the County Championship after the publication of the 2022 season fixtures confirmed their place amongst the top 10 teams.

Sportsmail revealed last week that English cricket’s most decorated club would avoid relegation as a punishment for their mishandling of the Azeem Rafiq affair but could still be hit with a points sanction across multiple formats.

Neil Snowball, the ECB’s managing director of county cricket, marked the release of the fixtures by advising fans wanting to book accommodation for Yorkshire matches to ‘plan accordingly.’

Yorkshire supporters have been told to expect their team to be participating in Division One (pictured: England captain and Yorkshire player Joe Root)

The ECB’s Neil Snowball advised fans going to games at Headingley to ‘plan accordingly’

‘If anything changes everybody will communicate that in due course but we are confirming they are in Division One and planning to play those matches in Division One this year,’ Snowball said.

It is hoped that the Cricket Discipline Commission investigation will be concluded in advance of the April 7 season start date to provide clarity for all three county competitions.

‘Our working assumption is that they are in Division One. There is an investigation ongoing and that will be completed as soon as possible. That may result in disciplinary action once the hearings have taken place. We can’t assume anything different until that process has concluded,’ Snowball advised.

Yorkshire also have the threat of a Test match versus New Zealand and one-day international against South Africa being taken away from them if the ECB is not satisfied by their actions in response to Rafiq’s harrowing testimony. Rafiq himself has urged the governing body not to take such measures.

Azeem Rafiq has urged the ECB not to take international fixtures away from Yorkshire 

Snowball insisted there is no specific reserve venue for either of the Headingley matches if they need to re-located.

‘With the International programme, we have a contingency plan every year. We always try to have a shadow schedule as to where we can go, particularly with the focus on terrorism,’ Snowball said.

‘We haven’t got anything particularly slotted in place in case the games don’t go ahead in Yorkshire but we have got a bit of wriggle room to accommodate if that’s what it comes to.’




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