Matthew Hoggard witness statement suggests "P***" was a "widely used" word in Yorkshire dressing room

EXCLUSIVE - GEORGE DOBELL: The statement, seen by The Cricketer, provides an insight into the culture at Yorkshire at the time, and suggests racist language may have been common

Matthew Hoggard has said the word 'P***' was "widely used" in the Headingley dressing room during his time as a player at Yorkshire.

Hoggard, the former Yorkshire and England seamer, is among those charged by the ECB with bringing the game into disrepute in relation to the use of racist language.

Hoggard is contesting the charge, and in a witness statement prepared ahead of the ECB's disciplinary hearings, says he "does not specifically remember using the term 'P***'". He does concede he used the phrase 'Rafa the Kaffir' when addressing Azeem Rafiq, but he insists the context was not racist and "not to the extent" suggested in the ECB's charges.

The statement, seen by The Cricketer, provides an insight into the culture at Yorkshire at the time, and suggests racist language may have been common.

"[Hoggard] accepts having been part of group chats and the like when it [the term 'P***'] was used and that he contributed to the generality of such conversations," part of it reads.

^{The hearings into events at Yorkshire are expected to take place in March [Getty Images]}

"The word had been widely used throughout the squad, because a number of players of ethnic minority referred to themselves as such, so it became used with what appeared to be implied consent and without any racial/discriminatory abuse or harm intended."

The statement also says Hoggard did use the term 'Rafa the Kaffir'…" but not… "with its racist meaning." Instead, Hoggard claims that "as 'Raffa' [Azeem Rafiq's nickname at the club] rhymed with 'Kaffir', this became one of the nicknames for Azeem.

The statement reads: "I do not recall that I invented the nickname, but I did refer to him as such, as did others in the dressing room."

Elsewhere, Hoggard's statement reads: "I do recall that, from time to time, the word ['P***'] was used in the dressing room.

"In retrospect, I fully appreciate that wasn't a good thing to do and if indeed I had used that word, I acknowledge and accept that I shouldn't have, hence I admit breaking the applicable rule."

Meanwhile Ajmal Shahzad, who has previously said he had no recollection of hearing the expression "you lot" used in connection to Asian players at Yorkshire, has now accepted that it did happen.

But whereas it had previously been alleged to have been Michael Vaughan who used the phrase, Ajmal claims it was Hoggard, whom he refers to as "a bad bloke".

^{Several witnesses have been called to give statements ahead of the hearings [Getty Images]}

"The only person in that dressing room who would sometimes use phrases that you would think…and yes, who'd you think might be getting close to the line, would be Hoggy," Ajmal said in his witness statement, seen by The Cricketer.

"But… as much as he was a Yorkshire player, he would play for England a lot and when he came back into that Yorkshire dressing room he didn't last long, so he just didn't last long because bad blokes don't. Unless you are immensely skillful, you can get away with being a bad bloke for a bit. As soon as your form drops, you're gone.

"And that's… and I'd apply that to Azeem, I'd say that to Azeem as well."

Hoggard is among a group of former Yorkshire players facing charges as a result of allegations of racist behaviour at the club.

Gary Ballance, a former club captain, has already admitted the charges against him and, as a result, will not have to attend the hearings, while the club is currently involved in a plea bargain having accepted the majority of charges against it.

The others charged - Hoggard, Vaughan, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, John Blain and Richard Pyrah - are scheduled to have their cases heard by the ECB's Cricket Discipline Commission in March.