Colin Graves, ECB and ICEC panel members confirmed for discrimination in cricket CMS session

Richard Thompson, Richard Gould and Clare Connor will be questioned ahead of an appearance by Graves and Yorkshire chair Harry Chathli on February 20

Colin Graves has been confirmed to appear as part of a session to scrutinise English cricket's response to the structural and institutional racism, sexism and class-based discrimination revealed by the ICEC report.

As previously revealed by The Cricketer, ECB chief executive Richard Gould and ICEC chair Cindy Butts will appear in front of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in separate sessions on February 20.

Butts will be accompanied by Sir Brendan Barber and Dr Michael Collins who made up part of the five-person group, while chair Richard Thompson and Clare Connor, deputy CEO and managing director, will flank Gould.

The final hour will see Graves, along with Yorkshire chair Harry Chathli, questioned by cross-party MPs ahead of the imminent completion of his takeover of the Headingley club.

Ahead of his expected return to the sport, MPs are keen to establish that "lessons have been learnt" from his spell as Yorkshire chair, a stint which overlaps with a period in which Azeem Rafiq's allegations of racism have been upheld.

A cross-party group of MPs will run the heads of English cricket on February 20 (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Last year he dismissed discriminative language used in the context of a dressing room as "banter" - a remark he has since apologised for.

Nevertheless, his appearance could act as an unwanted distraction for the ECB, who he chaired between 2015 and 2020.

The session was originally designed to assess the governing bodies' response to the ICEC report published last June which concluded that racism was "entrenched in cricket", women were "marginalised”, and little was being done to address class barriers.

Chair of the CMS committee Dame Caroline Dinenage said: "Last year's ICEC report observed discrimination at all levels of the game. Our evidence session will be an opportunity to explore the ECB's response and whether those in charge of cricket are serious about taking the steps needed to root out discrimination and inequality in the sport. 

"On the Yorkshire takeover, while Colin Graves has now apologised to those who experienced racism, and for his dismissive approach to those who suffered, during his last spell at the club, we want to make sure that lessons have been learnt and attitudes have changed."