Gary Ballance apologises for "unacceptable" and "racist" language

GEORGE DOBELL: Azeem Rafiq has welcomed the apology as "brave" and suggested that Ballance, who is currently suspended from England duty and has not played a first-class match this year, should be able to resume his career

Azeem Rafiq has accepted an unreserved apology from Gary Ballance for the racist abuse he experienced while a player at Yorkshire.

Ballance, who is expected to plead guilty to ECB charges of bringing the game into disrepute in a forthcoming hearing, admitted using "unacceptable" and "racist" language towards Azeem.

Azeem has welcomed the apology as "brave" and suggested that Ballance, who is currently suspended from England duty and has not played a first-class match this year, should be able to resume his career.

"I have wanted to meet Azeem in person for quite some time, but I had to make sure I was in a good place when I did so," Ballance said in a statement. "Azeem has been through similar mental health challenges and understands why this has taken me a little time.

"I apologise unreservedly to Azeem for the words I used when we played together. I did use unacceptable - at times, racist - language. If I had realised how much this hurt Azeem, I would have stopped immediately. That's why I wanted to meet him this week and be clear in person that I intended no malice. That's not an excuse, I realise that the language I used was wrong.

^{Gary Ballance has issued a statement, apologising for what he calls "unacceptable" and "racist" language [Getty Images]}

"I have accepted, from the outset, the words I used were wrong and I hope this statement brings Azeem some comfort. There is no place in our sport for this behaviour and I am determined to play my part in ridding the game from racism and make it more inclusive. To do this we all need to be honest and learn from our past mistakes."

It will be interesting to see the reaction to Ballance's apology at Yorkshire. There remains a group who refuse to accept there has been racism at the club in recent history. Ballance's words would appear to scotch such beliefs.

Certainly Azeem has welcomed the apology. But as well as hailing Ballance as "part of the solution" as cricket battles to combat institutional racism, he has urged others in the Yorkshire dressing room to "reflect" on whether they could release similar statements. He also revealed that others - including, it is understood, other Yorkshire players - have apologised privately for what they witnessed.

"From day one of opening up about my experiences, all I ever wanted was acceptance and apologies for what happened," Azeem said. "Gary has been brave to admit the truth and I understand why the mental strain has made it difficult for him to make this apology any sooner. Gary must be applauded for his honesty and unreserved apology and must now be allowed to get on with his life.

"Gary got things wrong, so did many people. The main issue is cricket's institutional racism. Gary's courage means he is now part of the solution. I hope he can be allowed to get on with his cricket.

"I would like to thank Gary. He has done cricket and the fight against racism a great service with these words. I would also like to thank those who have been in contact with me privately to apologise for what they witnessed. It's a good time for those who were bystanders to reflect on whether they could have done the same or even spoken publicly about what they saw."

^{Azeem Rafiq and Ballance met this week [Getty Images]}

Ballance first made the apology to Azeem in a meeting hosted by Julian Metherell, the non-executive chair of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), earlier this week. He has subsequently followed it up with a statement and is expected to cooperate with the ECB's disciplinary hearings, which are expected to take place in November and December.

Azeem and Adil Rashid, the England leg-spinner, had first reported their concerns of racism to Yorkshire at the end of the 2017 season. It took until the following August for the club to hold a meeting to discuss the claims. A report from the legal firm Squire Patton Boggs found the club failed to follow their own processes for investigating the claims, and that senior figures were "dismissive" of them.

That same report concluded that Ballance, among others, had used the word "P***", but did not uphold a complaint against him on the grounds that it was "banter". It did, however, conclude that Azeem was a victim of racial harassment and bullying.

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